Total Drama Rewind
by serendipity9861
Summary: Courtney was done with the Total Drama series, or she thought she was. She did not want to go back to that show, to that person; but when she has no choice but to go back for one final season in order to get the future she has worked so hard for, she will take it. Now she just had to figure out how to win.
1. Chapter 1

**_AN:_** _Hi, this is my first fanfiction story. I have also posted the first two chapters of this story on deviantart under serendipity9861. I hope that you all enjoy reading! Please review! It helps motivate me to write more! Plus, criticism is always welcome and very appreciated!_

* * *

 _The stars lit up the entire sky that loomed above two friends… at least they were supposed to be just friends. She was tortured by having to watch them. Her heart grew warm as he talked about how much he loved her. Then the other girl spoke up. She trusted this girl, but she should not have._

 _She stared at the television screen praying that the chemistry she suspected between them did not exist. He assured her before that she was the only one who he had feelings for. She believed him. She is a stupid little girl who only wanted her fairytale dreams. She should have never allowed her hopes to rise._

 _It looked like an accident, but she knew they both wanted it. They had tripped and the girl landed on top of him, the two of them stared into each other's eyes. They knew this was being broadcasted, they knew that SHE would be watching them… But none of this stopped them._

 _She lowered her lips onto his, and he… he kissed her back._

 _He broke her heart. Never again will she cry like she did that day._

* * *

"NO," Courtney yelled as she shot upwards in her bed. She felt dried tears on her face. The night still haunted her.

She shook her head and got out of bed. She was Courtney Satella - CIT. _'Crazy In Training,'_ His voice rang through her mind. She rubbed her forehead and reminded herself that she was done with Total Drama, she never had to see him again.

She made her amends with Gwen on Total Drama All Stars. She was trying to become a better person. She had college to look forward to and nothing would distract her anymore. Not even the memory of his neon green fohawk that always was so soft… Stop.

"Courtney! I have breakfast ready for you," Her mother called up to her room. She trudged downstairs. She had a system for every morning: 1. Breakfast 2. Shower 3. Get Dressed 4. Brush Your Teeth 5. Hair & Make Up. It worked and it gave her enough time to get to school early.

An envelope laid on the counter, it had the McGill University Faculty of Law logo on it. It was an awfully thick envelope. Courtney's mother was beaming, "Well, are you going to open it?!"

Courtney rushed to the counter and carefully ripped the envelope. She didn't want to damage the contents. She yanked the letter out and read, _'Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you, Courtney Satella, that you have been accepted into…'_ "AHHHHHHHH," Courtney screamed, "I got in!"

This was Courtney's dream come true! Studying pre-law at practically the best law school in Canada (in her opinion) and then going on to study law at the very same place! She continued to read on and then pulled out a second letter. _'However, we regret to inform you that we are unable to provide the financial support you requested…'_

Her smile dropped. "Honey, why are you frowning? You just got into your dream school," Her mother exclaimed.

"Mom," Courtney sighed, "I can't go. We were denied financial support. There is no way we can afford it given the… the divorce."

Her mother's smile fell as well. After Total Drama Island, she returned home to find that her father had left. Her mother caught him cheating with his secretary. It sounded like every other film that dealt with cheating. Well… the divorce really took a toll on the money situation. Plus, her mother had been going to therapy which only made them have less money available.

"We can make it work," Her mother teared up, "I promise we will find a way. I'll… I'll just get a second job!"

"No, mom," Courtney refused, "You already have enough on your plate. It is ok. I will just go to my back up school."

Her mother bit her lip, "Sit down Courtney and eat. I have something else I think could help."

Courtney obeyed and watched as her mother walked into the living room and pulled out a book off of the shelf and opened it. She grabbed another envelope that she apparently had hidden in there. Her mother sat down beside her and stared at the envelope.

"Please don't get upset with me, and know that I am only suggesting this because I want you to achieve your dreams," She slid the envelope to where it sat in front of her daughter, "The producers from the game show network want to bring back the original Total Drama cast for another season. I hid it as soon as we got it because I didn't want to upset you, but, if you won, you could pay for college for at the least the first year. And even if you didn't win, we still get paid every week you are on the show. This could help honey. And while you are gone, I could get a second job since I would have more time! But you don't have to do this, unless you want to."

Courtney stopped eating and stared at the envelope. The memories flooded through her mind again. The flashes of lime green and then dark blue… No. She smiled at her mother, "This is great mom. I'll do the show, and I will try my best to win."

If there was any way Courtney could get to go to that school, she was going to do it. They better watch out, because Miss CIT is in it to win it.

* * *

She had been the last one to accept the invitation. Apparently everyone was eager at the chance of a million dollars. Courtney was informed that Eva and Ezekiel were no longer allowed on the show so they would not be attending. Other than that, she had no idea what this season would be like. She knew the title: 'Total Drama Rewind.' What that title entails is up to the imagination.

She was thankful that it was not too late for her to accept the invitation. The deadline had already passed, but they made an exception for her. She had heard Chris in the background order whatever worker she spoke to to let her on the show. He mentioned something about ratings, so she supposed some viewers were fond of her.

Courtney felt her palms begin to sweat as she stared at her packed suitcases and boarding pass laying on her bed. Oh how she would miss her bed. From her past experiences with the production of Total Drama, there were never comfortable sleeping arrangements (Excluding the All Stars resort).

She had been meticulous when it came to packing, making sure she had everything she needed. Turning her head, she saw herself in her full length mirror and winced. She looked exactly like herself, but she couldn't help but think about the stupid thing she had done after she got over crying about Duncan.

It shamed her to admit that she had gotten a belly button piercing. Of course, she realized why she did it now. She wanted to seem more punk or goth or whatever Gwen is nowadays. However, despite acting on a whim, she kind of enjoyed having her own secret. Not even her mother knew. She remembered this when she packed her swim suit, she realized that she only had a bikini and because money is tight, she decided she would make sure to wear a t-shirt if they ever had a challenge that required swimwear.

Courtney took a deep breath and assured herself that she was prepared and ready to face everyone. This was most likely a lie, but she could not allow herself to seem weak. She would just ignore Duncan if need be. Courtney was a friend this time around, not a boss.

She took her suitcase and boarding pass and began to make her way to the car. Her mother was sad to see her go… again. She was said too, she was about to leave for college, but instead of spending this time with her mother, she was stuck on a TV show with her ex-boyfriend. Stop. She reminded herself to think about all of the fun, nice people that would be there. Like… Bridgette! So instead of sulking about the one person she dreaded seeing, Courtney continued to reminisce about the many contestants she shared fond memories with.

* * *

Her mother gave her one last squeeze before letting her go. Courtney promised herself she would not cry, but that didn't stop her mother. Courtney mustered one last wave and turned around to board the… private helicopter?

She handed the pass to the employee standing beside it and she nodded, "Go on ahead. It is a pleasure to meet you Ms. Satella."

Courtney raised an eyebrow, this was not normal. Usually they got some crummy boat or broken down plane for transportation. She raised up into the helicopter and saw the pilot wink at her. He was sort of cute. Stop! What was she thinking? Focus!

"Hi," The pilot smiled and helped her get settled, he placed a gentle kiss on her hand, "My name is Derek and I will be flying you today."

She had a bit of a let down at her reaction. Although, maybe it was just the fact she wasn't used to gentle. Duncan certainly had a diffe- stop! She smiled, "Thank you, may I ask where exactly we are flying? The producers told me absolutely nothing."

He chuckled, "All I know, is that you are late, and it is my job to get you to the destination that I have been told no to share. I am sorry, Ms. Satella."

She shook her head, it was odd they all talked to her so politely. Duncan insisted on always calling her Princess, but sh- stop! She ran her hand through her hair, "I am sorry if this is an inconvenience to you, my letter for the show got lost. Once I found it, I immediately called and accepted."

"No need to apologize, this is no trouble at all. I suggest you wear the headset to protect your ears," He handed her a matching headset to his and began to start the engine.

She sighed and looked out the window. Everything would be fine, she was fine. Maybe this won't be as bad as previous seasons.

* * *

Courtney stepped out cautiously and looked around. They had landed on a roof of a… hotel? Surely this wasn't where they were staying. "Courtney," She heard a voice yell and turned around to see Chris approaching her and busboys already attending to her bags, "You are late! Come on, we need to record the pilot ASAP."

He dragged her down to what she guessed was the lobby. She was pushed roughly between DJ and Geoff. Geoff grinned, "What's shaking brah? Long time, no see."

"I know. I missed all of you! School has kept me busy," Courtney laughed. She missed Geoff's laid-back attitude. DJ swung his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. His arm almost swallowed her whole, she had forgotten how well-built he was.

She had only herself to blame for losing touch with everyone. After the… the break-up she just wanted to be alone and separated herself. Chris clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention, but hers was on something… someONE else. She felt Duncan's presence, he was staring at her. She was so tempted to look back at him, but she chose to only limit her view of him to her peripheral vision.

"Welcome to Total. Drama. REWIND! This season includes season one's cast as you can tell by your fellow contestants. This season is all about challenging each of you with someone else's past victories or defeats. In order to truly welcome our late contestant, Courtney, I ask everyone to go put on their swimwear unless you enjoy having green jelly all over your clothes," Chris grinned menacingly and left the room.

Courtney rolled her eyes, this was just like Chris - finding it funny to torture them. Leshawna strutted towards Courtney and gave her a welcoming smile, "Come on hun, you're rooming with me."

She walked alongside Leshawna and as she passed Duncan he winked at her. She caught a whiff of his scent, it was so sexy- no! She swallowed nervously and followed her roommate. Leshawna gave her a smirk, "I saw that. No tantrum to throw towards Duncan?"

Courtney chuckled, "No, I can't continue to be mad over something that is in the past. Me and Gwen are friends and they broke up. Everything is good."

Leshawna gave her a questioning look, "Uh huh. Well, I'm here for you girl. If you need to rant at anytime, hit me up."

"Thank you. I will keep that in mind," Courtney nodded. She was thankful that she had someone to talk to, but she was going to still try to keep her worries to herself. They entered their room and Leshawna gave her a spare room key.

Courtney looked around and saw two queen size beds and a huge flat screen. She giggled and got her swimsuit out of her bag. Her and Leshawna both changed and Leshawna toward to her, "Oh my sweet Lord. What in the world is that?!"

"Huh," Courtney looked down and realized she forgot her t-shirt to cover her bellybutton piercing, "OH. That's nothing!"

Courtney threw a shirt over her and walked out of the room. Leshawna followed her, "Oh heck to the nah. Spill."

Courtney mentally slapped herself, she had just reminded herself of this. "I got it a while back on a whim. There really isn't a story," She shrugged.

Leshawna still looked skeptical, but dropped it. Courtney made herself forget about, she had a competition to focus on winning, even if it was her worst fear.


	2. Chapter 2

He stared at her. He did not care if she was aware of his gaze, he couldn't look away. He had never seen her so clearly before. She was beautiful, more than he remembered. Maybe it was her being away from him - no.

He knew what it was, but, of course, he did not want to admit it.

He didn't want to remember, but the memories came flooding back…

* * *

 _Duncan slowly opened his eyes, his head was killing him. Harsh, bright lights filled his vision. He heard someone sobbing in the room. He struggled to raise up, but managed to do so._

 _His mother was crying into his father's chest. He didn't have those awful hairpieces on. That's how he knew something was wrong. His mother hated them, and his father insisted on wearing them. However, his father took them off when it was serious, especially when his mother was upset._

 _"Ma-a," His voice shook. He had trouble speaking._

 _His mother shot up and stood by him, "Oh, my precious baby! Shhh, don't say anything. Just rest."_

 _His father stared at him, emotionless. When it came to the family, the only person his father cared about was his mother. He was just another one of his disappointments. His father gave up after him. Duncan was the youngest and when he turned out just as badly as his brothers, his father stopped caring._

 _"Wh-what happened," Duncan murmured._

 _His mother covered her mouth with her hand, and shook her head._

 _His father stood up, "You pushed it too far. I don't know what you have been using, Duncan; but whatever it is, it caused your heart to fail. You are lucky to be alive."_

 _Duncan attempted to groan, but failed. He knew what this meant. Not only did he almost die, but he also violated his parole. "Where are they sending me this time?"_

 _His mother held his hand, "Nowhere. You are safe, with us. We have to make sure nothing like this happens again. And they can't do that in prison."_

 _"Consider yourself lucky, if it hadn't been this that violated your parole, you would've been sent to big boy jail, prison," His father huffed, "Sadly, for you, you need to get clean. That is the only was to reverse any other risk of heart failure."_

 _Duncan sighed and clutched at his side. He knew why he had been using more. Gwen broke up with him, but he knew the real reason. His princess wouldn't even look at him, let alone talk to him. He had been getting high to forget the pain._

 _The numbness helped him forget about her, but who was he fooling? He would never get her off his mind. He was in the hospital, and he was still thinking about her…_

* * *

Everything was so clear to him. He had never noticed the freckle right on the tip of her nose, or the way her hair looked like a different shade of brown every time she turned her head. She was gorgeous.

Chris was saying something, but he wasn't paying attention. He only paid attention when he got the letter. He took the chance to see his Courtney… not his, just Courtney, again. However, when Chris found out he was dropping the punk act in order to survive, he threw a tantrum. Apparently the fans went wild for a bad boy. He made a deal - he would die his hair back to its neon green, cut it back into it's usual style, and wear the entire ensemble including the skull t-shirt and his piercings, but he got rid of that undershirt. All he had to do was act the exact same way he did before, but how would he win his princess… *the* princess over with the same methods she despised?

Before he knew what was happening, everyone was getting up. He didn't even know why. He saw his babe… when would he learn? He saw Courtney walking with Leshawna. When they passed him he gave her a wink. A wink? Really? That would not work. He had to find a way to get alone with her, *without* cameras. Maybe he could tell her this was all a facade.

Geoff knocked on his head, "Yooo, is my bro there?"

Duncan shook his head, "Yeah man. What is going on?"

"Dudeee, you can't even manage to be all here for a meeting," Geoff laughed, he wasn't aware of what happened during the break between seasons, none of them were, "We've got a challenge. It's ya woman's fear from season one. We've got to do something awesome with green jelly, or something like that."

Oh no. Duncan felt awful for his baby. She opened up to him and told him why green jelly was her worst fear. When she went to elementary school, they had thought it would be fun to hold elections for class president. When Courtney had gotten up on stage, some mean boys from behind the curtains ran out and threw green jelly on her. The entire school had laughed at her that day, she assured him that she didn't care anymore. After all, she still got the office.

* * *

Duncan dreaded this competition. He had gotten a tattoo when he was drunk. A stupid, stupid act under the influence of alcohol. He would have accepted it had the tattoo he had gotten had not been the skull he carved for Courtney. Geoff didn't recognize it, and he was the only other person besides Courtney that had seen it up close.

He dragged his feet into the pool area. "You've got to be *bleep*-ing kidding me," Duncan groaned. The cameramen scolded him, they had to do extra work when the cast cursed. He rolled his eyes, keeping up the act. Chris, being the maniac he is, filled the entire pool with green jelly.

It didn't take long for his eyes to fall upon Courtney, she was wearing a t-shirt over her usual bikini. Major let down. She didn't look nervous at all.

He started moving towards her without even thinking about it, it was like his feet knew to go straight to her when she was around. "Hi," Her voice was like music to his ears, he could never get enough.

"Hi," He sighed, He wasn't doing well with the punk thing around her, "I've missed you."

He should not have said that. She smiled, but then looked down and tugged at the hem of her t-shirt, "Oh."

His heart sank, he knew he had lost her. Why did he bother to try?

Courtney looked up and he saw her gaze land on his right bicep… the tattoo. "Nice tattoo, it's new," She giggled, he melted, "I think I still have that somewhere around my house."

UGH. She doesn't even know if she still has it, but… she remembered AND complimented his tattoo. He glanced over her and noticed her arms still wrapped around her stomach.

"And what are you hiding, princess?"

She rolled her eyes, "What do you mean?"

Yes! She still answered to princess. "What's up with the t-shirt?"

Leshawna had been eavesdropping the entire time and stepped in with a smirk, "Yes, Courtney. What *is* up with the t-shirt?"

Courtney started to blush, it was so much more vibrant now that Duncan was sober. "No-nothing."

Duncan looked at her and knew that the old him would press on, despite the fact she looked uncomfortable. Disregarding the fact that he is supposed to act exactly how he used to, he backed away and left her alone. He wanted to be there for her. He imagined that this would be an extremely difficult challenge for her, but he also knew that she made it clear she did not want him in her life anymore. So, he went back to his spot between Geoff and Justin.

Justin had a mirror held up to his face. He now believed his beauty had come back, "You know, Duncan," Justin commented, "Maybe you'd be more attractive to Courtney if you didn't have so many holes in your face."

"Why I 'otta," Duncan pulled his arm back and Justin flinched. Duncan rolled his eyes, he wasn't about to violate his parole over this idiot. Ever since Justin wanted Courtney to be his princess, he has had it out for Duncan. Duncan didn't care. At the end of the day, Courtney would _always_ be _his_ princess… at least in his eyes.

Chris saw the exchange and nodded approvingly. He sat on top of the lifeguard station, "COMPETITORS, MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION," He shouted even though he had a megaphone to amplify his voice, causing everyone in the room to cringe, including the cameramen, "Good. Now, as I am sure you have all already noticed, we haven't assigned you to teams. That is because there are none, this season is about fending for yourself. Elimination will work in the way that those who fail to complete the challenge will be grouped up, and everyone will vote for who they want to be voted off-"

"But what if everyone completes the challenge," Harold asked.

"WOULD YOU SHUT IT? I AM GETTING TO IT," Chris shouted at Harold, "Anyhow, as I was saying before I was so RUDELY interrupted, if everyone succeeds in completing the daily task, you will all be grouped up and vote for one of you to be eliminated. I suggest you don't be the only one who fails because that means automatic elimination. I DECIDE WHEN ELIMINATIONS ARE. They can be everyday, once a week, IT IS ALL UP TO ME."

"Joy to the world," Heather groaned as she twirled her hair that had fully grown back and was even more luscious than before.

"WOULD YOU INCOMPETENT IDIOTS SHUT UP ALREADY," Chris yelled, everyone stood still, "Sheesh. Today's challenge is you jumping into this pool of green jelly from the high dive, BUT, you also have to manage to find the item that has your picture attached to it. Each item is something that is connected to you somehow throughout all the seasons you have participated in. I have been told that you cannot breathe in green jelly and also it is difficult to move, so, sadly, your items are close to the surface… stupid network regulations. Anyhow, … GO."

Courtney pushed past everyone and was the first one to climb the ladder leading to the high dive. Duncan stared at her in awe, she was so confident. He couldn't stop himself from cheering, "WOOOO, GO COURTNEY! THAT'S MY GIRL!"

"Duude, no," Geoff laughed.

"Um," Duncan groaned, "MY BAD PRINCESS. YOU STILL GOT THIS."

He mentally slapped himself from being unable to control himself. High or sober he was always excited for her. Much to his surprise, Courtney laughed. Her smile was so genuine, he noticed how straight her teeth were and how her nose crinkled up in the most adorable way. She stared down at the pool, but he saw her eyes flit to him. She wasn't jumping yet, she was examining the items in the pool.

Duncan turned to pool and saw her item as the first thing his eyes fell on… It was his skull! She told him that she thought it was at her house! Before being able to look back at her, he saw Courtney's body dive into the jelly. They must have added more water because she went under and ripples formed. He was so proud of her, this was already a feat for her.

He could tell that she had seen the skull to because she made a beeline straight for it. Surely enough, her picture was tied to it. She held up her fist with the skull and swam the edge of the pool and raised herself out.

"COURTNEY HAS COMPLETED THE CHALLENGE… that was specifically catered to make her fail… SO WHO IS NEXT," Chris alerted the crowd.

Duncan didn't notice who walked past him to go up next. Courtney was walking towards him. SHE was coming to HIM. How did he get so lucky?!

"Um," Courtney waved her hand in front of his face to get him out of his dazed state of mind, "Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I seriously think my mom must have sent this in. I didn't leave it, and it is basically my only souvenir from past seasons. It's not something that I just throw around."

Duncan couldn't help but grin dumbly, "Don't worry about it. I am so impressed that you just did that, princess. You faced your fears."

Courtney blushed once again while squeezing out the bottom of her shirt, "Thank you."

"Anytime," Duncan smirked, "And I mean _any_ time princess."

An awkward silence fell over them and eventually Duncan decided he should go next to get his item. He examined the pool as he made his way to the high dive.

He reached the top of the high dive and he saw a frame at the far end of the pool. It was the picture of Courtney that he kept under his pillow. He rolled his eyes, Chris had to of broken into their homes because nobody knew he still kept it. Duncan drew in a breath and dove off of the board, he hit the jelly and cut straight into it. It. Was. Disgusting.

It was extremely difficult to move in and it was getting in places he didn't care for it to be. He managed to swim to the far end of the pool and get the frame. He clutched it to his chest, not wanting Courtney or anyone else to see it. He didn't want to scare her off. However, it didn't help that he had carved their initials in the back of the frame with his usual skull…

Gwen stared at the frame as he walked past. She knew about it. They had a huge fight when they were dating over him still having it. She found it one day while she was over. He lied to her and said he had forgotten about it; she chose to believe him.

Owen held a dodgeball as a trophy of his from season 1. "Nice job Duncan," He said in his usual half laugh.

"Um thanks," Duncan walked past him. He glanced over at Chris who was glaring at him, he supposed he wasn't doing a good enough job at acting like a bad boy. So when Harold made his way to the high dive, Duncan took it upon himself to trip him.

"Go-osh," Harold gave him the stink eye and got up, "Don't think I can't sabotage you again."

Duncan knew he was talking about getting Courtney eliminated the first season. Duncan scoffed, "Good luck considering everyone here can't stand you."

Harold stumbled, this obviously shook him. He got up on the high dive and looked down. Duncan gave a devilish grin and shouted up to him, "DON'T BE A SISSY AND JUST DO IT. DON'T THINK ABOUT THE RISK OF HURTING YOURSELF OR THE FACT THAT YOU COULD FRACTURE SOMETHING UPON IMPACT."

"Sh-shut it," Harold called back weakly. Harold's head fell and he slowly backed up. Duncan knew he impacted his confidence, it was time Harold got a dose of his own medicine. He saw Courtney look at him. She didn't look disappointed, but she also didn't seem happy.

* * *

By the end of the day, Harold was the only one who failed to complete the competition, and Duncan got to happily send him off. "Bye buddy! So sad that you couldn't sabotage one of us one last time," Duncan laughed as Chef shoved him to the taxicab.

He was the only one there to send him off, everyone else chose to go to their rooms. He heard light footsteps trail till they landed beside him. He turned to see Courtney in he pajamas, freshly showered.

"He had it coming," She sighed, "Although, I would've preferred it was me that had done it."

Duncan laughed, "Wh-at!? You mean to tell me you aren't going to scold me about 'doing the wrong thing?'"

She rolled her eyes, "No. I came out here to say thank you. I have been wanting to get him back ever since I realized it was him who got me eliminated. So, thank you."

Duncan watched as she turned away. This was not the Courtney that he remembered. He could say it was the fact that he was clean now and everything was clearer, but he didn't believe that. His princess had grown into someone that he was even more amazed by, if that was even possible. He had to find a way to show her that he had changed and matured too.

Duncan would win his princess over, and keep her this time.


	3. Chapter 3

_She saw the smug look cross her face. Gwen had no remorse for her actions, that is until she wasn't satisfied with him anymore. What did Gwen think would happen? He was not going to instantly become Trent, the hopeless romantic. It upse- no, it pissed her off that she watched her relationship end and become this treacherous mess._

 _There was a massive unbalance between the two. Everyone else thought they were much better than her and him together, but how could they not see what she did?! Gwen only liked him because he fit the rebellious mold she had been pulling on her family for however many years now. She couldn't accept that Duncan preferred Gwen over her. She was a CIT for crying out loud!_

 _She stormed into the building she had set out for - the community center that nobody uses in her town. Usually she wouldn't be found dead in this place, but she was fed up with the publicity about Gwen and Duncan being EVERYWHERE! She turns the corner at a grocery store and there are loads of magazines plastered with the latest gossip about the two of them. Right now they were still enjoying their 'Honeymoon High!' as the magazines put it. She would drop dead before reading one of those articles, but her eyes have glanced at the covers of a few as she passed by._

 _She pushed into an old classroom. The community center used to be a very old high school in her town. She laid down the case she brought with her and opened it. She picked up the one thing that kept her sane. She lightly carried the bow over the strings and let her emotions pour out through whatever she chose to play. Her father used to hate it when she did this. He ordered her to play exactly what was on the sheet of paper, he didn't want anything but what the 'musical geniuses' before her had wrote._

 _Maybe her father had a point, after all, the violin was a very fragile instrument. She supposed her emotions were too strong to play because one of her strings broke underneath the pressure. "Great," she huffed as she dropped the instrument from her shoulder._

 _A slow, individual clap started from the doorway and her head shot up. Trent was grinning at her with a bit of paint blotched on his face. "That was truly amazing! I had no idea you were so eloquent with the violin," He complimented as he stepped into the classroom fully, he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "Sorry that I sort of creeped up on you. I swear I am not stalking you!"_

 _She raised one eyebrow at him quizzically, he didn't live in this area. He didn't even go to her school, she had no idea why he was anywhere near here. "Why are you here," She asked bluntly. At this point, she found that beating around the bush got you nowhere._

 _"Oh! I'm here for this volunteer project. I heard about it through one of my friends here. We are 'restoring the once crucial part of the community to its former glory,'" He used quotes around the saying, "That's what the director informed me. It's actually pretty cool here, a lot of history… and I'm rambling, aren't I?"_

 _She let out a light laugh, her sense of humor wasn't the same lately. She knew it wasn't much before, but the betrayal took a major toll on the little she had. "Maybe just a little. That's really cool of you. I live in this town and I heard nothing about it, so you can see how oblivious I've been lately," She mentally slapped herself. 'Way to make yourself look like a charity case. You need no one's pity.'_

 _His smile fell, "Yeah…"_

 _Her eyes grew wide. Great, she hurt one of the few good people she met through the Total Drama series. She didn't consider at all how this might've affected Trent. Sure, Gwen had already rejected him for being too… she recalled her using the word 'clingy,' but that was after he bought her a dozen roses AND a box of chocolates. The poor soul, who would've thought someone would dare commit such an act? She mentally rolled her eyes at that recollection._

 _"Uhm, I'm sorry," She said awkwardly and placed her violin back in the case, "I was being oblivious again."_

 _He laughed and anyone who wasn't there moments before wouldn't be able to tell that he had been upset. "Don't apologize! Anyhow, back to your music, how long have you been playing the violin," He walked towards her and took a seat in a desk and patted the one beside him for her to come and have a conversation with him._

 _She came here to be alone, but she didn't necessarily mind talking to Trent. He was a very positive person, which showed why Gwen couldn't be with him since he was the picture perfect image of a boyfriend to bring home to your boyfriend. Oh. My. Goodness. It made perfect sense to her now. Gwen ended it because when she told her mom about him, her mom had been thrilled and immediately ordered her to have him visit. This didn't comply to the act of disobedience._

 _She shook her head and ordered herself to stop over observing everything. She took a seat in the desk beside Trent and began a very nice conversation with him about music. It was very easy to drift away from her worries while talking about something she enjoyed so much with someone else that had equal passion towards the subject._

* * *

Courtney was busy reading in this secluded area she had found in the hotel. She got off on a tangent when she remembered she brought her violin, but still hadn't fixed the string she had broken because she never felt up to it. Something bothered her about the thought that both her instrument and herself were broken. She clenched her jaw, she was THE Courtney Satella, CIT, and future scholar of McGill University Faculty of Law, she didn't 'break.'

At the memory she began to get upset with herself. She didn't stay in touch with anybody, including Trent after that transaction. It was extremely rude of her, but she felt like he saw her when she was weak. Nobody was allowed to see her unless she was at her best. She was head strong, she knew that, but she wanted to get places. She wanted to prove her father wrong in the fact that she didn't need him to be successful, and provide for her mother and make her proud. Her mind was always busy with thoughts such as these, and the messy break up did not help with her schedule.

"Hey," She heard someone say enthusiastically, removing her from her solemn thoughts.

She glanced up and saw the hand print shirt that everyone on this show knew by memory by now. A genuine smile appeared on her face, "Hey Trent, have a seat!"

"Thanks," He sat down beside her and glanced at the book she had in her hand, "What are you reading, if you don't mind me asking?"

She glanced down at the book, it was to help prep her for the classes she would be taking at college. She didn't want to reveal where she was going to anyone here. She just wanted to be normal this time around, no drama, no advantages or disadvantages. "Eh, just some light reading," She shrugged.

He ran his hand through his hair, " _That_ is your light reading! Man, I am really behind you in reading."

She rolled her eyes and placed her bookmark and shut the book to focus her attention on the one of the few here who have been nice to her the entire time. She regretted not being more respectful towards him before, so she would try to make up for it now.

He actually made eye contact with her unlike some of the cowards she had conversed with, "So I have something for you that you probably don't need anymore, but you could need it later on!"

She was taken aback, what place did Trent have to be getting her anything. "What is it," she placed her forehead on her palm.

He pulled out a package containing violin strings, "I know that you broke one earlier on this year, and you play so beautifully when you get aggressive with your violin so I picked this up in the music place I have in my town. I am in there all the time. I tried to be slick when seeing how your violin was, I hope this was a surprise."

She grinned from ear to ear, "This was definitely a surprise! Thank you so much," She hugged him, and then thought maybe that was an awkward thing to do, "You didn't have to do this!"

"I know, bu-" Trent was mid-sentence before he was interrupted by a new, unwanted presence.

"Hey princess, Trent," Duncan smirked as he strolled in and placed himself in a seat beside Courtney and scooted a little too close to her while placing his feet up on the table, "What are you two talking about?"

Courtney placed a hand on her forehead, she knew it was a bad idea thanking him the other day. He was going to read too much into it. Trent answered before she could, having just as much as a real smile with Duncan as he did with her, "I was just giving Courtney a set of extra violin strings. You should hear her play when she goes off the sheets! It's breathtaking!"

She brushed some hair behind her hair, "It's not that good. He saw me get a little carried away with my music a while back and break one of my you again, it was a very thoughtful gift."

"Anytime," Trent gleamed. She could tell he loved making people happy, maybe Gwen just didn't see that when she ended it with him.

Duncan looked around and saw several cameras around, he rolled his eyes, "Anyyyywayyyss, I would love to hear you play sometime."

He had leaned closer to her, she could tell he wanted the two of them to be alone together, but she didn't. At least, she didn't think she wanted to be alone with him. She felt herself becoming more lenient with her policy when it comes to Duncan: keep talk limited, and don't look at him. So far she has broken both of those rules more than she would have liked to. She would never have to see him again after this season. She would be a successful lawyer and never have to look back.

"Maybe I can play for you one day," She instantly wanted to shove the words back into her mouth as she said them. She wanted nothing to do with that lying, cheating as-. She stopped her thought process there when she felt Duncan's legs brush hers as he let them fall under the table. It shook her having contact with him again, so she looked at Trent and gave him a half smile, "I am so sorry that I didn't stay in touch with you after I saw you that one time."

She heard a verbal sigh as Duncan leaned up and placed his arm way too close to her. Trent scooted his chair back and got up, "What did I tell you about apologizing last time? Don't do it! I totally understand. It is tough to keep in touch with everyone you meet here," He laughed, "I'm going to head to Cody's room to talk to him, he asked me to stop by. It was nice seeing you two!"

"You too," Courtney tried to match his enthusiasm, but doubt she did.

"See ya," Duncan nodded him off, once he was gone he turned to Courtney, "So, when did you play for Romeo over there?"

She stood up herself, "Don't turn this into something it isn't, Duncan. He was volunteering in my town and I happened to be playing and he overheard."

She was proud of herself for shutting down whatever assumptions he might have been making right away. Duncan nodded and began to follow her, he opened his mouth but no words came out because he was interrupted with the PA system.

* * *

"COMPETITORS, REPORT TO THE LOBBY RIGHT THIS INSTANT," Chris shouted over the intercoms, then a voice in the background said, "Chris, you can't shout into that. You'll break the speakers and it's extr- DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"

Duncan and Courtney shared a questioning glance, she shrugged and walked ahead of him. She was determined to keep her space from him from now on.

Chris had decided it was a good day to have another competition… a day after the last one. It was a rewind of the TDA contest where you had to knock the opponent facing you off a twenty foot totem into the green jelly pool. Apparently there had been budget cuts due to the expenses spent on the hotel and so they had to reuse the pool.

Courtney had yet to have gone and the losers and winners were growing as more and more pairs went up. The losers at that point were, Noah, Sadie, Katie, DJ, Heather, Ezekiel, and Lindsay. The winners were, Cody, Justin, Tyler, Owen, Izzy, Trent, and Duncan. Courtney was called up and Chris waited to announce her opponent until she had climbed the totem.

"AND FACING COURTNEY IS…," There was a long, 'dramatic' pause, "GWEN!"

Courtney mentally groaned. Of course, Gwen would be the person she had to go against. She turned and saw Duncan standing with the winners. He winked at her and gave her a thumbs up. Well, now she knew who he supports in this situation. Courtney watched Gwen climb the totem pole. They each had their poles with padded ends to try and knock each other off.

Gwen looked a little nervous, "Hey, we haven't talked in a while."

"Yeah," Courtney shrugged, "I haven't really talked to anybody lately."

Courtney could tell she was going to enjoy this. She had TONS of pent up anger, and she had been bottling it up for WAY too long. As soon as Chris yelled 'GO,' Courtney wacked Gwen in the head, and the swiped her feet from up underneath her. Gwen went falling within twenty-five seconds of the round starting. She hit the jelly with a loud slap. Courtney felt amazing.

However, the silence that followed was a little awkward. "Wow," She heard Duncan let out. She climbed down and joined the winners. Meanwhile, Gwen was having a little trouble getting out, so DJ rushed over to help her out. Gwen was rubbing her neck as she passed by Courtney. Sure, the two called a truce and became friends, but that didn't erase what that sl- Courtney scolded herself for thinking of such a word. Anyhow, that didn't erase what she did to her.

"What the hell was that," Duncan leaned over and asked.

Courtney's face flushed, "How bad was it?"

"It was bad enough that I am sure that all of us here are praying that we never have to face you. I mean when I had to, it was bad, but that, that was… *bleep*-ing amazing," Duncan awed at the fight that just went down, probably wishing it had been his own work.

She secretly admitted that it felt amazing to knock Gwen down a few pegs, … literally, but she never meant to so aggressively. Izzy skipped over, "IZZY HAS NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT WHILE SHE WAS ON THE RUN! IZZY IS VERY IMPRESSED!"

Courtney cringed from Izzy's loud personality, "Thank you Izzy."

"YOU ARE WELCOME," Izzy laughed and Owen came over and gave Courtney a fist bump and then they all turned their attention to the next round.

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me," Gwen sort of shouted as she was escorted out. Courtney was just as surprised as she was. She thought Gwen was liked, maybe she was too much of a threat to everyone else.

Courtney looked around and saw nobody went to see Gwen off, so she strode out to the truck for has-beens. Gwen was sitting in the bed of the truck, "Hey Court."

Courtney didn't know what made her do it, but she was fed up with holding back her anger just to suit everyone else. She walked up to Gwen and leaned onto the truck, "Nobody will miss you."

"Wh-what," Gwen was taken aback.

"Not to be rude, but," Courtney shrugged, she needed to get this out, "You can drop the act now. The having to be rebellious thing is getting old. I figured your little ruse out. Stop being so difficult to your mother. You are beginning to destroy other people's happiness just for your own enjoyment. It gets old. Grow up, you are no longer in high school."

Gwen blinked a few times and you could see a few tears springing up in her eyes, "I th-thought we were friends."

"If we were friends, you wouldn't have kissed my boyfriend," Courtney began to back up.

"You two were on a break," Gwen shouted.

"We were on a break for less than two weeks. And last time I checked, YOU and I weren't on a break as friends. Next time, have some class and go after someone your 'friend' hasn't dated. Enjoy your ride home," Courtney turned on her heel and didn't stop for a moment. She heard Gwen start to cry and the truck pull away, but she didn't feel badly. She felt relieved.

"Woah," Courtney heard a voice gasp, she glanced around and saw Bridgette, "How long have you been holding that in?"

"Since the kiss," Courtney answered curtly and walked into the hotel. She was tired of being shunned because she couldn't get over it. She didn't do anything wrong. Sure, she was less mature at the time and was probably way over her head in the relationship, but she was worth just as much as Gwen. It was about time that Courtney realized that too.

* * *

 _ **AN:** I am aware that there seems to be a lot of Gwen hate in this chapter, but I think it was necessary for this chapter. I am sorry if any of you are a fan of her and I offended you, I did not intend to. With this chapter I aimed to build Trent's character and Courtney's confidence. I hoped you all enjoy reading! Please read and review! It is much appreciated!_


	4. Chapter 4

_He loved this view, though he got it very rarely. She looked so content all wrapped up in his sheets. He actually got quite upset with himself at times like these. He had a reputation to uphold, and watching his girlfriend sleep so peacefully and not to mention how gorgeo- this is exactly what he was mad about. He was Duncan, not some wuss who gets emotional. His princess began to stir and he couldn't keep the smile from appearing on his face._

 _He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her bare shoulder and nuzzled into her neck. She let out a light purr and her eyes fluttered open. She had one of the most mesmerizing smiles. "How did you sleep, baby," He murmured as he placed butterfly kisses on her neck._

 _She giggled, "Wonderfully," He watched her turn her head to see his alarm clock (that he never set an alarm on) and groan when she saw what time it was, "I should probably be going. It's a long drive back, and I need to be back before my mom is from her 'girl's getaway.'"_

 _He rolled his eyes and pulled her on top of him, "OR… you could show up after and say you were visiting Bridge or something. Come on princess, you know you want to stay," He knew he was getting to her, he always did. She smiled nervously and leaned up to where she was sitting (giving him quite the view), "We can maybe go for a round two. I can put that movie you love in. My 'rents aren't going to be home for the entire weekend because of that whole job thing. Let's take advantage of all this time we can spend together. After all, you always talk about how you wish we could have more alone time."_

 _To top it off, he flipped her over to where she was laying down on his bed and gave her one of those kisses that she loves. She says that he occasionally has 'so much passion through the kiss that she knows he loves her.' He wouldn't admit it to himself, but he knew exactly what she was talking about and felt it as well._

 _When he pulled away he saw her dreamy gaze towards him. He couldn't help but feel like he was king of the entire world when she looked at him like that. That look was only given to him. "Well," Courtney bit her lip (which was always a major turn on for him), she glanced at the clock again, "I guess I can stay for a few more hours."_

 _He gave a devilish grin, he liked it when he had this affect on her - making her go against her original judgement. "That is what I love to hear from you," He quickly pulled her into another kiss and they began to become just as entangled as they had been the night before._

* * *

Duncan rolled over in his very comfortable bed and had this goofy grin placed on his face. He blinked a couple times and woke up fully only to be disappointed at the lack of company. He groaned knowing he would most likely never experience that night again. Why did he always have to screw up a good thing when he had it. His father was right, in that regard, he never did appreciate what he had till it was gone.

He made himself get up. He knew what he saw yesterday. He saw that dumb guitar guy get to close to _his_ princess. Well, sure, she wasn't his anymore. She never was, Courtney has always been independent, but he still didn't like the thought of her with any other guy. He just had to have her remember that night like he did. Their relationship was always amazing in private. Now… when it went into the public, that is when it got messy.

All of that is besides the point, he needed to get her back. She made him a better person. He liked it when she was around. He _needed_ her in his life. He almost died because he couldn't deal with the pain, he would never tell her that. He didn't want her to think he was clingy. He could live without her, he just wasn't mature enough then. But even though he can live without her, he wanted her to be a part of his life.

He forced himself to get in the shower, he turned it as hot as he could handle. He enjoyed the steam, it felt like it cleansed him not only in a hygienic way, but also in a way that rid him of his past mistakes. He was too sappy, he shook his head to get himself to stop overthinking and analyzing everything. Even his princess told him to stop doing that.

Eventually, he got out of the shower and wrapped his towel around his waist. He wiped the mirror from the fog that had clogged it up and looked at his reflection. He stopped and stared for a few moments, there was something wrong with his reflection, "S**t!"

He rummaged through all of his personal belongings and couldn't find a thing that he needed. He threw on his clothes and ran into the lobby. "CHRIS," He shouted, he was surprised he was so upset over this mishap.

The receptionist told him to report to the conference room. He rushed in there and saw all of the remaining competitors sitting in there. "You've gotta be s***ing me," Duncan cursed as he saw everyone's jaw drop. Although he couldn't help but internally smirk at Courtney looking him up and down.

He stomped over to Chris trying to keep up the act. He grabbed Chris's shirt by the collar, "Somebody thought it was a good idea to take both my hair gel AND my hair dye. I don't like it when people think they. Can. Take. My. THINGS," He dropped Chris rather roughly.

Chris tugged at his collar and brought his award winning smile back, "And _I_ don't like it when my contestants sleep through my wake up calls. Take it as your punishment."

Duncan ran a hand through his hair, he had a dumb cow-lick. Without the gel, he couldn't mat it down and form his infamous fohawk. Only Courtney has ever seen his hair like this, but even then he had his lime green in it. She had always loved this style, but he wouldn't get rid of his signature look back then. Of course his dye HAD to wash out the day Chris gets the wild idea to steal his stuff!

He just had to sit next to Justin too. That idiot tried to win over Courtney, and he was not cool with that. It was the first time ever that he actually felt threatened by another guy when it came to Courtney, and now he has to worry about Trent. Although, Courtney did tell him not to read into that and he was really trying to be more receptive towards her wishes.

Justin leaned over and had an evil smirk plastered onto his face, "Personally, I think you should stick with this look. You appear less like a…," Justin took a break to search for the perfect words, "Green toad this way. Now you just have to get rid of those holes in your face and you'd be set."

Duncan gritted his teeth. Today was not the day for this cardboard cutout to be getting on his nerves. This was the second time Justin pointed out his piercings to him. Little did he know, that when he and his princess were dating, she said his piercings were 'quite attractive.' In fact, she considered getting one, but she would never do that.

Trent was sitting across from him and waved, "Justin, cut it out man. Duncan is obviously not having the best day right now."

UGH! Of course, the guitar dude had to be nice. Heather glanced over at them, "Personally, I sympathize with Duncan right now. I know how it feels to have YOUR HAIR DAMAGED!"

Lindsay grasped at her hair, "How many times do I have to say sorry for that?!"

There was a loud screeching sound and all of the 18 contestants cringed, "Thank you, Chef Hatchet," Chris said to Chef who then yanked his butchers knife out of the table and walked out, "Anyways, I am tired of having such a large group of people here. SO, I have decided we will have another challenge!"

Everyone groaned, Geoff tipped his hat backwards, "But, like, dude! We have had two challenges in the past two days! When are we gonna get, like, a break, man?"

Heather rolled her eyes at Geoff's vocabulary. Chris wickedly smiled, "Whenever I say you get a break. Today's challenge will be… TRUTH OR DARE OR FACE YOUR FEARS," Silence followed, "Oh, come on! Don't I get some kind of recognition for that rhyme?!"

Noah rolled his eyes, the sarcasm practically dripping off of his voice, "Wooo, go Chris. You can rhyme, a skill of a second grader. We are sooo proud of you."

Chris bit his tongue and decided to continue, "I won't waste time explaining the rules since all of you have played truth or dare, surely. The only catch is that if you don't complete the truth or dare, you have to face your fear, and I will make sure to make it worse than the last time."

Courtney rolled her eyes, that didn't happen very often, Duncan thought. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. He knew that she got the rolling the eyes habit from him. She always said it was a sign of disrespect, but he had gotten her to loosen up. His princess spoke up, "And what about me? Remember? You decided it would be great to fill the pool with green jelly, and I dove into it."

"Ugh, do you doubt my abilities," Chris sounded hurt, "I have something in store for all of you. Now we will be watching from the outside, but you all must go through each other before we begin FACING. YOUR. FEARS."

DJ covered his ears, "Please! Not so loud!" The guy was always a bit of a baby.

Chris slammed the door and everyone looked around. They were wondering who would start the game and Duncan decided it was his job to do so. He had a dare in mind already, now he just had to get her attention. "I'm starting the game," Duncan declared.

"And who put you in charge," Beth asked. Duncan thanked whatever person who took her braces off because that lisp was getting on his last nerve.

Duncan slammed his fist on the table and everyone jumped, "It's a game. I'm not in charge, sheesh, I'm just getting the game started. Now, if you don't mind, I'll begin."

Silence followed and it was assumed that he would go first. He smirked and couldn't help but think he still had it even without the extra 'boosters.'

Duncan mentally cheered. Now, he just had to get Courtney to pick dare, and he knew exactly how. There was one thing Courtney hated more than anything - being read like a book. "So, princess," He smirked, Courtney swiveled her chair to face down to his side of the table, "Although I know what you will choose, since you like to calculate all of the risk factors, I'll ask anyhow: Truth or dare?"

She furrowed her eyebrows in that way she did when she was frustrated, "Oh yeah? Dare!"

HA! He knew it, he could still get to her even if they weren't together, "Fine, I'll go easy on you. I dare you to come sit in my lap for the rest of this game!"

Courtney scoffed, "You've got to be kidding me," Despite the statement, she got up and plopped herself down, "Of course, you would choose such a barbaric dare."

"Yep," Duncan grinned and then leaned in close and whispered in her ear, "But princess, I had to find a way to get you close to me again."

He felt her draw in a quick breath, "Anyhow, let's keep this game going," She scanned the table and he saw a glint in her eye, "Hmmm, Lindsay: Truth or dare?"

Lindsay was twirling a piece of her hair and stopped and looked at the CIT innocently, "Ummm, truth?"

Duncan leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Ask her how it felt being tied up with Tyler in that yo-yo."

He knew Courtney knew nothing of what he spoke about, she didn't bother watching the first season after he made that… mistake. Courtney leaned forward on her elbows, "How did it feel being tied up with Tyler in that yo-yo?"

As she leaned forward, he began to think maybe his dare wasn't the best idea. After all, it has been a long while since they've been this close, and um he didn't know how to distract his mind. Crap. Courtney turned her head and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Great, well that couldn't be more obvious.

"O.M.G. How do you know about that," Lindsay gasped.

"Well, this is a reality TV show, that we can go back and watch," Courtney explained as kindly as she could without being rude.

Lindsay's mouth formed an O, "Oh. That makes sense… Oh! To answer your question, it felt realllllyyy amazing," She turned to Tyler, who was sitting beside her and giggled, "Come to think of it, I have no idea how that yo-yo string was long enough to tangle us both up, but it was totally funny!"

The game progressed quickly, everyone seemed to be less afraid this go around. Eventually it got to Justin, so far the only people who hadn't been able to complete their truth or dare were Leshawna and Beth. He payed attention briefly because Heather dared Leshawna to say that Heather was better than her. Leshawna almost punched the string bean of a girl, but decided against it and accepted the fact that she would face her fear or risk leaving. As for Beth, Duncan had kind of zoned out because Courtney had leaned back and got comfortable. She actually rested her back on his torso!

"Duncan," Justin said with his 'best model smile,' "Truth or dare?"

Courtney scoffed, "And you say I am the predictable one."

Duncan narrowed his eyes, "Truth."

Justin seemed satisfied with that answer, "Who is the better kisser: Gwen or Courtney?"

Silence followed. Nobody moved. The cheating incident or not cheating incident, whichever one it was, seemed to be forbidden territory among the co-stars. Trent brought his head down and stared at his lap. Courtney had raised up and become stiff. Duncan was clenching the arm rest of his chair. He felt like his collar was tightening on his throat. Why must he judge someone on a kiss? He knew the answer right away, but this was television. He didn't want to embarrass Gwen.

"Well," Justin hummed, he was enjoying this too much.

"I'm not answering," Duncan huffed, "Guess the game is over."

Courtney got up and walked out before everyone left the room. Leshawna shot a dirty look towards Justin and rushed after her. Duncan supposed that them being roommates had brought them closer together. He was glad that his princess had made a friend.

Chris smiled, "Congratulations! Only three people didn't complete what was asked of them! Less than I thought there would be. Chef would you take Beth, two cameras follow them. Leshawna, our receptionist will take you to your destination, two cameras go with her as well," Several people rushed around the two competitors, before he knew it Chris's eyes had fell upon him, "Now, for the most unexpected, Duncan. You will be coming with me. Four cameras with this one. I need one for each corner of the room. Oh! And Courtney, you'll be joining us."

Courtney was making her out of the lobby before she came to a halt from that last statement, she spun around on her heel, "What are you talking about? I completed my dare."

"That is true," Chris agreed with her, "But you have to be there."

Two interns intertwined their arms with hers and dragged her along with them. Before he could even say a word, both he and Courtney were locked in a room with a single table and two chairs. The walls were mirrors, which meant they were one way windows. The cameramen must have been filming from the outside. Chris's voice rang through some unknown speaker, "Duncan, it has come to our attention that your worst fear has changed. Now, explain yourself to Courtney."

"Wh-at," Duncan's voice cracked. That was true, he was the most afraid of this, but he didn't think that he would have to do this.

Courtney sat down, she had no emotion on her face. He could tell she wanted nothing more than to get out of there. He sat down directly across from her.

Duncan had been rehearsing exactly what he would say to her, but now… he came up blank. "I'm sorry," He sighed, he looked her straight in the eye and was truly sincere.

Courtney stared at him and said nothing. He might as well be hugging a Celine Deon music store standee. She was not responding at all. "If I could go back, I would take it all back," He confessed.

Courtney blinked, "Sure you would."

"Please," He pleaded, "Understand that I was never my true self back then."

She rolled her eyes, "And what exactly is your true self?"

He… he didn't know. How was he supposed to? He was just now sober. How could he look at her and say he was something he might not be, "I… I don't know."

She scoffed, "You cheated on me, Duncan."

He was ashamed, "I did. I am so sorry. You deserve so much better. You deserve the world and more, princess."

"Flattery is not going to get you anywhere."

"That is how I feel," Duncan banged his fist on the table, surprising both himself and her, "For Christ's sake Courtney, I love you!"

She looked at his eyes, he knew they were sincere. He pushed his chair back and it fell with a loud crash on the floor, "Do you think I don't hate myself every second because of what I did?! There will never be anyone better than you in my life, and I gave you up because I was dumb and immature. I wish I could be perfect for you."

"Don't you get it," Courtney finally spoke up, "I don't want perfect. I never did! I wanted someone who would listen to me and respect me! But NO," She shot up as well, her chair clashing into the wall, "That was asking TOO MUCH of you. That was OVERBEARING AND CLINGY! WASN'T THAT HOW YOU PUT IT?!"

Duncan took a step back, she never raised her voice like this. It wasn't commanding anyone, it was her emotions pouring out of her. "I was dumb! I realize that now," He was desperate, and he was finally okay with that, "I have so much that I need to explain to you, but I can't right now! I swear that everything would make sense if I could!"

Courtney was trying to count to ten, it was that thing she would do when she was mad. She took a breath in and then exhaled, she had a much calmer voice, "You owe me an explanation. Why did you do it?"

"… We were on a break, I thought it was really the end for us. Where, at that time, I did think some of the things you did were too much, there was much more things that you did that I didn't know how I would live without again. Gwen was being really friendly and while I was imagining what I could do to fix us, she fell on top of me. I was already in this mushy mood. I couldn't get you off my mind. When… when she kissed me, I kissed back because I wanted to imagine it was you. I thought I would never get to kiss you again. I was the most sad I have ever been in my life, I was vulnerable. I'm not blaming Gwen, I played just as much part as she did. I am truly sorry for what I did."

Courtney was digging her fingers into the table, "Why did you date her?"

Duncan was cursing in his head, he didn't want to talk about Gwen. He wanted to talk about them, "I needed the affection. Like I said, I was vulnerable. I wanted to be no one's but yours. However, you and I both know that I wasn't going to get that. I am not saying she filled the place in my life meant for you, but she did serve as a distraction. I'm not trying to objectify her, but I don't know how else to explain it."

She actually appeared a bit satisfied with his answers. She bit her lip, he didn't think he'd ever see that happen again. She looked down, "Who is the better kisser," Her head shot up, "Not that I need something like your opinion to make me feel good about myself or that it'll make me feel worse, but… who was?"

He chuckled, "You know, princess. I was trying to avoid embarrassing Gwen on international television, but since it's you that asked and not that cardboard cutout… Definitely you."

She had to suck in her lips, but he could tell that she was trying not to smile. The look fell and was replaced with a much more serious one, "I accept your apology, but I don't know if I have forgiven you yet."

She glided over to the door and let herself out. She left him a bit confused, but he followed after her. Chris stopped him. "So, Duncan," Chris smiled, "We have decided you successfully faced your fear. The goal was to get Courtney to listen to you, and you definitely did. Congratulations! You're safe… for tonight."

Duncan was dumbfounded, he had no idea what just happened. It felt like it happened in two seconds. He heard someone crying and looked around. Beth was being escorted out. He guessed that she was the one leaving. Leshawna walked over to him.

She patted his shoulder, "She was the only one who didn't face her fear. I got done pretty quickly. I heard that erm… discussion between you and Courtney. I'm proud of you, hon."

He smiled, "Do you think I did well?"

Leshawna matched his grin, "I do. You did good, Duncan."

She turned and left him. Duncan stood there looking around. He felt like he was floating on cloud nine. He did something that his father, his parole officer, the entire country of Canada, and even himself thought he couldn't do.

Duncan did good.

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _I have two followers of my story to thank for the truth or dare idea used in this chapter! I wasn't sure if they would want me to reference their usernames, so I decided to play it safe, but, if you are one of the two and would like to be credited directly, please let me know! I hope you enjoyed reading! Your criticism is welcome and appreciated, your feedback helps motivate me! Thank you so much for reading!_


	5. Chapter 5

_"Oh come on, the press will eat it up," He encouraged._

 _The couple stood in front of a tattoo parlor. She was trembling as he dragged her in. The Total Drama reunion was the next day and he wanted to wow the paparazzi. There were only two people in the parlor, both of whom appeared to work there. One was a rather bulky man exhibiting many tattoos, and the other was a skinny lady who surprisingly had no visible tattoos. The two of them took one look at her and started laughing._

 _"Duncan," The man's low voice barked, "What are you draging this poor girl into?"_

 _Duncan winked and swung his arm around her neck, "Oh, you know, the usual. Matching tattoos. Piercings in places only I will see. Dyed hair."_

 _Courtney gasped, "We most certainly will not!"_

 _Duncan burst out into laughter, "Babe, I am only yanking your chain," He reached into his pocket and pulled out a temporary tattoo in the shape of a heart, "I'll get a real one, and then, when you are ready, you can get one too. But, for now, you can use this temporary one. It'll be our little secret, just for us… and these two in here."_

 _She was actually sort of flattered. Who knew he could be such a romantic? "Oh," That was all she could manage to say. Every once in a blue moon, Duncan would do something like this. It was always in private, and it would assure her that she made the right choice on continuing to date him._

 _The lady walked out from behind the counter and took the temporary tattoo and waved her to one of the waiting chairs. Courtney sat down beside the lady and let her put the tattoo on her arm. "Mike and I are very fond of you. Duncan has never had a nice girl in his life, besides his mom… and me, of course," The woman joked._

 _Courtney giggled, "And what is your name?"_

 _"I am Valerie," She smiled, "Most people don't bother asking us that."_

 _"Well, it's very nice to meet you Valerie," Courtney grinned._

 _Valerie placed a wet washcloth onto the tattoo and the two waited, "We like to think Duncan is our son we never had. He's always hanging around here. We even taught him how to give tattoos!"_

 _Courtney's eyes grew. Just another thing she was sure her mother would love… that was sarcasm. "That's interesting, he hadn't told me that."_

 _"Oh, honey," Valerie chuckled, "Duncan isn't a bad guy. He just wants everyone to think so. He talks nonstop about you, ya know? It's cute, I've never seen him like this before, and I've known him for quite a while. He talks non-stop about his new girlfriend, Courtney."_

 _Courtney blushed. It didn't take long for Duncan to be finished up, and she was done in no time. The tattoo didn't hurt him at all, which was odd to her. She thought this was his first tattoo._

 _Duncan hopped off of the chair and intertwined their arms, "Ready to go?"_

 _She didn't know what it was, but there was something about that moment that made her not want to move. As if she moved, this romantic moment would slip away. She took a breath and assured herself that she was just being silly. "Yeah," She sighed._

 _Duncan placed a kiss on her forehead, "See ya guys later!"_

 _"Come back soon you two! I'm looking forward to giving Courtney a real tattoo," Mike bellowed._

 _When they left, Duncan put their arms together. The matching hearts aligning perfectly. "It looks great, princess. Now your heart will always be with me, and although yours isn't permanent, mine with you."_

* * *

Courtney had been staring at Duncan's tattoo. The majority of them were hanging in the pool area (thankfully, the pool was no longer green jelly), and he was swimming. What bull crap came out of his mouth that day?

She didn't know why, but after Duncan explained himself, it felt like it rehashed her closed wounds from the incident. She wasn't mad at him, but she was angry. She couldn't sit still anymore. She shot up out of her chair and left the pool area. She rushed to her room and grabbed her violin. Thanks to Trent's gift, she had repaired it finally.

She managed to find an empty room. She started playing, not exactly knowing what she was trying to play, but kept going. The violin was her outlet, her recharge of sanity, her reminder that reality isn't all bad. Maybe this was why it was so easy to become friends with Trent. He was so calm 24/7, maybe his guitar helped him be that way.

Silence, that's all she heard. Her hand had stopped moving, she set the instrument back into her case, something in her told her to stop. Like she had finally played all she could, but why was she still upset? "That was really good," She heard a voice say.

She spun around, "My goodness! What is up with all of you and sneaking up on me?!"

Bridgette laughed nervously, "I'm sorry! I wanted to come see how you were after yesterday's challenge."

Courtney took a deep breath, "Please stop. I want all of you to stop."

"Wh-"

"Stop," Courtney ordered, "I am not mad at any of you, but face it. Before that happened, none of you cared a thing about my existence. I was a burden of a co-star for you. I don't take pity well. I also don't take people being fickle about whether or not they are my friend well either."

Bridgette looked down at her feet, "Court, you've always been my friend. It's just… you can be a little overbearing-"

Courtney laughed, "Yeah, I know. That's the excuse Duncan used too."

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!"

Courtney reevaluated herself, what did Bridgette do to her? Nothing, she wasn't the problem. Courtney took a breath and then apologized, "No, I'm sorry. You did nothing wrong. I've just been a little upset since yesterday because it's like putting salt in an open wound. I didn't want to talk about it."

"I totally understand. If you ever want to hang though, come to my room! We can binge 6teen and fangirl over Jonesy and Nikki's relationship," Bridgette offered.

Courtney laughed, "They are a cute couple, I may have to take you up on that!"

"Awesome," Bridgette exclaimed, "I'll leave you to be with your violin. Have fun!"

Courtney nodded. She watched her leave and then closed her case. The rest of the contestants should still be in the pool area. She needed to take a moment to herself and make sure she wasn't going to bite at anyone again.

There was one sentence playing over and over again in her head. She couldn't get it out no matter what she did. _"For Christ's sake Courtney, I love you!"_ His voice echoed in her mind. She wanted to let him back in, but she couldn't. She had to focus on herself for once. She was here to make the college of her dreams a reality.

She reached her destination - the garden area of the hotel. She walked around and then laid on the ground. The old her would never do this, she could get a grass stain. The others couldn't notice it, but she was making real progress on letting loose in a good way, not an irresponsible way. It might be dumb, but she was proud of herself. It was little victories, such as this, that kept her motivated.

"You enjoying yourself," She recognized the voice. For real, why did everyone have to sneak up on her?

"Feel free to join me, Trent," Her eyes remained fixated on the passing clouds as he laid down beside her.

"Once again, I promise you that I'm not stalking you," He chuckled, "But this time, it's your fault!"

"My fault," Courtney shot up, how was him interrupting her alone time her fault?

He rose up onto his elbows and grinned, "Yep, this is my hiding spot. You happen to be trespassing in my mind."

She rolled her eyes and laid back down, "Very funny," She didn't know what it was, but she wanted to talk to him. Maybe it was how he didn't press her like others did, but he felt like a friend that she could trust.

"Can I talk to you," She asked shakily.

"Anytime."

"You are my friend, right," She continued to press on.

"Always," He was short again, leaving her plenty of time to decide whether or not she wished to talk to him.

"Duncan said something yesterday that I can't decide whether or not I should believe."

"That he loves you," Trent assumed.

"How did yo-"

He interrupted her, "Um, he was sort of loud when he poured his heart out to you. I think he meant it, Courtney. And being completely honest with you, I'm not too fond of the guy. So, that should say something."

She sighed, that answer made it more complicated.

"Don't go back to him. Make him grovel."

"Wh-hat," She choked on shock.

Trent's face was flushed, he may have been regretting what he just said. "Well, I mean, he put you through a lot. He has to do the work to be able to earn your trust again, even if it is just as friends."

She nodded her head and saw a cloud pass by that looked strikingly like a heart, which only reminded her of the stupid tattoo's. She heard footsteps approaching and turned her head to see Duncan… without a shirt.

"'Sup," Duncan smirked at her, "Mind if I join you?"

"No, she doesn't. I was just about to leave, you can take my spot," Trent got up and winked at Courtney. Did he just set her up?!

"You two seem to be getting friendly," Duncan commented.

She rolled her eyes, it was a bad habit that she picked up from yours truly. "Don't worry. We aren't as friendly as you and Gwen," She spat.

Silence fell over them. What did he expect of her? That she would instantly accept his 'love' and trust him again? She was healed from the cheating, but she couldn't open up like that again so quickly.

… He said nothing about getting back together. She was assuming again, it was her dumb little girl coming out. She wanted to let him back in because she was probably the most happy she had been in a long time when she was with him, especially after her dad left. He helped her get through that so well, now she had nobody like that to help support her.

Enough! She didn't need him for support. She could support her own self!

"What are you doing laying on the grass, princess," He laughed, clearly ignoring the hostility in her last comment, "You could get a grass stain, and remember that one time you gave me a 45 minute lecture on how hard it is to get those out for you?"

She felt her face flush. _He noticed_. He noticed her small victory. He remembered how stressed she would get after a season ended because of how many stains she would have in her clothes. "Yeah, I remember," She laughed.

"You've gotten to be more dangerous than I am," He joked.

"Oh, very funny," She narrowed her eyes, he had leaned up on his elbow and was gazing down at her, "Why are you looking at me like that… Duncan, what are you thinking?"

"Nothing," He smirked, "Except for how I also recall how ticklish you are!"

Before she could react, he had his hands at her side and was tickling her. He knew how much she hated this! She was laughing and crying at the same time, "DUN-CAN," She couldn't control how much she was moving around, "St-top!"

He didn't listen to her. He kept on tickling her, but a few seconds after he stopped abruptly and said, "Holy s***."

Courtney took a deep breath, "What," She looked at him quizzically and then realized what had happened. Her shirt had slipped up while he was tickling her because she moved so much, … exposing her belly button ring.

"It looks fantastic, babe," Duncan exclaimed.

She yanked her shirt down and let out a huff, "Thanks, stop calling me that."

He pouted, "Why cover that up?! I never would have thought you would get a piercing! I mean, I remember you telling me that you thought they were cool, but… wow. You never stop surprising me, princess!"

She knew she had to be blushing, he was staring at her with this goofy grin, "Why are you looking at me like that?

"Because," He leaned in closer to her, "I am proud of you."

She watched him as he closed his eyes and lean in. _"Make him grovel."_ Trent's voice rang out in her mind. She pushed him by his shoulder and got up.

"Duncan," She exhaled, "You hurt me. You _cheated_ on me. You don't just get a 'Get out of jail free card' here. I don't want to start this up again."

It was evident how disappointed he was, "Courtney," He actually said her name, "I really am sorry. Will… will you ever want to have you and me be an 'us' again?"

 _Yes._ She stopped herself, she knew how much pain she went through over him. Honestly, she saw them together again in the future, but only if he cleaned up his act. Sadly, that was most likely never going to happen. "No," She felt like she ripped his heart out, he looked like he may cry, "Duncan, I want there to be an 'us.' But your behavior, sometimes, is unacceptable. The things you risk just to have a little 'fun' is scary. Maybe… maybe there could be an 'us' again if you wanted to be different. But I can't ask you to change yourself, that's not fair to you. And I can't try to change you because then I'll actually be overbearing. I want you to be happy with who you are, like I finally am. If you truly are happy with who you are, then we shouldn't be together."

Duncan opened his mouth, but then they both heard a rustle and it was a cameraman. He cursed under his breath, "I can understand that."

She nodded and smiled, "But we can be friends… eventually. I am more comfortable with you now."

Duncan smiled, but his eyes lacked any emotion, "That, in itself, is a victory."

"Yeah," She agreed, she seemed to be having a lot of personal victories lately.

* * *

"UGH," Courtney grunted as she just missed a 'deer' pass by in the rewind of the challenge Paintball Deer Hunter. She started stomping off in the direction Izzy went, but she had to admit it, that girl could disappear if she didn't want to be found.

"You know, you make a really cute hunter," Someone said from behind her.

She rolled her eyes, this was the _fourth_ time today that someone decided it would be a great idea to sneak up on her. "Gee, thanks. A dream come true," She smarted off. She turned to see a way too white smile. Seriously, she needed sunglasses. Of course, it was Justin… She was completely neutral about his company. She didn't care if he was there or not.

"Maybe we should team up for this," Justin suggested with his usual flirtatious tone, "So I can be here to protect you, if you need it."

All of the sudden, Courtney heard a paintball gun go off. She actually _felt_ the wind from the paintball fly past her face and hit Justin smack dab in the nose. "Oh. My. Goodness," She started laughing hysterically as Justin was freaking out about how this would affect his 'model status, "Sorry. I'm sorry about that. Maybe you should go back to base to get cleaned up."

Justin nodded and looked around like he was a deer caught in headlights (… no pun intended.) She was actually relieved she no longer had him as company. All he ever did was talk about himself once he got going.

"You are welcome," Duncan came out from behind some bushes (the crew set up a fake forest on the hotel's property… the budget was seriously fluctuating. Apparently, ratings were down from previous seasons, but now they are back up with the original cast.)

Courtney smiled and put her hands over her heart, "You are truly my hero."

Duncan swung his arm around her neck, which only reminded her of the tattoo parlor once more that day. She shook her head to get that recollection out of her mind and shrugged his arm off her shoulders. Duncan grinned triumphantly, "I like to think you get your sarcasm from me."

Courtney scoffed, "I probably do. It's a bad habit I must have picked up from you."

"I wouldn't say a bad habit," He winked, "More like… you are more open to speaking your mind now."

"Uh huh," She didn't bother to argue. Silence once again fell over them, but it was a comfortable silence. They continued to stroll through the 'forest,' until Courtney pushed Duncan back and shot quickly.

"OUCH," They heard Heather scream. Courtney had shot her in the stomach, and with her wardrobe, that meant it made skin contact. Both her and Duncan snickered at her 'kill.'

Duncan patted her on the back, "Nice one, princess."

"I try," She shrugged.

* * *

"Oh, wow. This is tough. We haven't had to do one of these yet," Courtney said as she sat in the conference room, which was this season's location for a confessional.

On the table in front of her sat all of the people who were either a 'deer' who was shot or a hunter who didn't manage to shoot any 'deer.' Leshawna laid on the table, this was the second time she could be eliminated. It worried Courtney because Leshawna had been very supportive and a great listener when she felt like opening up. She put Leshawna's picture on the corner of the table. She had figured she would decide who to eliminate by a system of elimination, oh the irony.

The remaining faces were Trent, Tyler, Sadie, Katie, Heather, Justin, Noah, and Cody. She grabbed Trent's and Tyler's pictures and stacked them on the corner as well. She was a little nervous because she was voting first. It didn't help when Chris stuck his head in and yelled that it was a 'DOUBLE ELIMINATION NIGHT.'

She bonded with Sadie during the first season when Katie had been eliminated, so she grabbed both Sadie's and Katie's and stacked them. Leaving Heather, Justin, Noah, and Cody… She knew for a fact she wanted Heather gone ASAP. She didn't like to admit it, but Heather would get far if they didn't eliminate her towards the beginning.

Cody had never been particularly rude towards her so she grabbed his picture. Now she only had one picture left to eliminate… Then it came to her that she didn't enjoy Justin's company at all, and Noah was actually kind of funny… in an unconventional way.

The cameraman motioned for her to tell the camera what she decided. "Um," She held up the two photographs, "I mean this as a compliment towards Heather, she's just too good to keep in the game if I can get her out now… And as for Justin, um, I'm sorry?"

* * *

Duncan, Geoff, Bridgette, and Courtney were all waiting nervously to see who the two were going home were. They had shared who they voted off and each of them picked Heather. Although Courtney and Duncan were the only two of the four who put Justin as the other contestant to be eliminated.

"WHAT," They heard a shout, "YOU ALL JUST MADE A HUGE MISTAKE! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I CAN MAKE YOUR LIFES MISERABLE!"

It turned out to be Heather as Chef Hatchet was dragging her out to the truck for has-beens. The four looked around wondering who the second person was. "Oh, come on! Please don't make me leave! These beds are amazing," They all watched as Cody pleaded with Chef once he came back in.

"No," Chef answered shortly and guided him out. Cody went more willing this time.

"Wow," Courtney muttered, "I did not expect Cody to get the boot."

Duncan huffed, "Now we have to put up with that dumb cutout for at least another day."

Courtney turned to him and opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. He didn't suggest some prank or foul idea to make Justin's stay here horrible. He sort of _accepted_ the fact that he didn't get what he wanted. That's when she realized something that would change her approval of him…

 _Duncan had changed for the better too._


	6. Chapter 6

He _reached down to turn the knob in his final attempt to get her to open the door to him. He had knocked at least twenty times and called her. He couldn't imagine how hard it must be for her right now. When she called him sobbing after the end of Total Drama Island, his heart broke. Her bastard of a father was a cheater. He did a lot of bad things in his life, but cheating was not one of them. (Oh, the irony.)_

 _To his surprise, the door was unlocked. "PRINCESS," He yelled as he walked into her house. He knew her mom wasn't home. Courtney had told him her mother had been going to therapy as often as possible. Her mother was the complete opposite of herself; Courtney's first line of defense was to shut down, similar to mine, not talk it out._

 _"UP HERE," She called back. He locked the door and ran up the stairs._

 _"You don't need to leave your door unlocked, babe. A delinquent could just walk in," He winked, failing at trying to lift the mood._

 _"Ha ha," She said dryly. She had a box out and was scurrying around her room packing random objects into it._

 _He walked till he was behind her and placed a light kiss on her cheek, figuring he might as well try to be a little sweet despite it going against his usual personality. "Whatcha doing," He mumbled as He wrapped his arms around her waist._

 _She leaned into his hold and sighed, "I'm packing up the crap Joel got him," He remained silent as she pulled away, she grabbed a book and smirked, "Have you ever read_ The Scarlett Letter _?"_

 _He had a feeling this was one of those things he should've read, but didn't. "Nope," He shrugged running a hand loosely through his fohawk._

 _She rolled her eyes, "It's a classic. There was this girl who had to wear an A because of adultery."_

 _Her grin was similar to the one she had when they stole the food from Chef and Chris, "And this has to do with you packing away Joel's crap because…"_

 _She bit her lip, "Do you have car chalk?"_

 _"Yeah."_

 _"Want to go write vulgar messages to Joel's whore of a secretary on her car," she asked._

 _He laughed, "Did you even have to ask?"_

* * *

He was lying on his bed. It was a pretty chill day. It was the first that they had not had a challenge yet since they got there. He had his headphones on, and he couldn't stop thinking about her. He had to find a way to show her that he had changed so she would take him back.

While he was bobbing his head along to the music, he let his eyes close. It wasn't long till the music stopped and he sat up in confusion. There, at the end of his bed, stood his princess holding his phone. He scratched his head, he still hadn't bothered to dye it back yet, "How did you get in here?"

Out of all the things he could have asked, he asked her how she got in here?! He wanted her to be here, who cares how she got here?

She tossed his phone down on the bed, "I used a bobby pin like you showed him," She sat down on the empty bed on the other side of the room, "It must be lonely without having a roommate anymore."

He swallowed down his nervousness, "Eh, not really. Harold as a roommate alone is way worse than sharing a cabin with him and others. He will never stop getting on his nerves."

She nodded in agreement. A silence fell over them, he decided to wait till she said something. After all, she was the one who broke into his room.

She sighed, "I broke in here because I wanted to talk to you in private."

"Okay…," He was hesitant about what was coming next.

"You said that you couldn't explain something to me earlier, can you now?"

He smiled, this was his shot. He had already searched the room for cameras earlier in his stay, breaking the ones he found. "Yeah," He said, surprising himself at the different tone in his voice - sincerity -, "But it is a lot to take in, and you can't interrupt."

She pursed her lips, "Got it."

He took a deep breath, realizing that not everything he is going to tell her is going to make him look any better in her eyes. He had so many regrets, and this is his chance to wipe those away. Putting this into perspective only made him more nervous about her reaction though.

"I'll start at the beginning with Gwen. Like I said before, you were gone. I was unstable. I did things I regret. I guess what I liked with Gwen is that she didn't tell me not to do something. I could break into my stash right in front of her and she would just act like it was ok. You would actually make me not do it in front of you. Anyways, Gwen and I lasted so long because she never got on to me, and I never really talked to her. The whole having everything in common was just a show. Then we broke up, and I started using more and more. I got in that big trouble on All Stars, but was let off on probation. Anyways, I… um… my heart failed one day-"

"WHAT," Courtney shot up off the bed and sat down beside him placing a hand on his arm.

He shrugged, "What did I say about interrupting," She blushed and let her hair fall like a curtain around her face, "This was a violation of my parole, but the police in my area spoke to my parents and they both to the same conclusion that I needed to be at home to get better so I could get the medicine or whatever other s*** that is supposed to make me better. My dad threatened me. He told me if I messed up one more time, I was going straight to prison since I am no longer a minor. I proved him wrong, and actually got clean. I stopped wearing my piercings as much, I let the green fade out of my hair, I started retaking tests that would help me get into college if I choose to go. I actually turned my life around, and then Chris called and wiped away all of my f****** work away. He told me I had to keep up the bad boy persona if I wanted to be back on the show. He said it kept up the ratings, and I had to be back on the show if it meant I got to be with you. I had to find a way to tell you all of this. Now, be aware, there are a lot more not so pretty details I skipped over so I wouldn't talk your ear off, but I really have changed. Yesterday, you told me you could not be with me if I was happy with who I was, referring to that me; but I have changed! I am happy with who I am now. I am no longer hooked on drugs that I couldn't go two days without using. I want to be back with you because you make me an even better person."

He let out a breath. He finally got it all out. Silence fell over them once again. He was waiting for her to say something, anything, but she wasn't saying anything. He took both of her hands in his and squeezed, "Princess, please say something."

She finally made eye contact with him, "Why didn't you contact me after you got better?"

His shoulders fell, "I didn't know what to say. I figured I deserved losing you since I was such a jerk. I don't deserve you."

"That's not true," Courtney huffed, "I wasn't the easiest person to get along with. Sure, you _didn't_ deserve me, but this new you sounds like he does. We have both grown independently and are not so reliant on each other. I think the time apart did us well."

His ears caught her referring to them as an 'us,' "Does that mean there is an us?"

She blushed, and it was so beautiful to him now that he could see her clearly, "There can be an us, but I think you should wait to ask me to be your girlfriend until after this season is over."

"Who said I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend," He stuck his tongue out at her.

"Oh, ha ha," She rolled her eyes, "Guess you don't want to have casual fun till the end of the season then either," She got up and started to walk away.

He shot up and grabbed her wrist, "Woah! I didn't say anything about casual fun, and I was just joking!"

Courtney winked, "I'm aware."

"Want to show me what you mean by 'casual fun,' while we have some free time right now," He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

* * *

Duncan strutted into the pool area feeling pretty proud of himself after the conversation him and his princess just had. Courtney was _his_ princess once again, and he couldn't be more ecstatic about it. He was on cloud 9, that is until he saw his princess lounging with a t-shirt over her and Trent on one side of her and Justin on the other.

He stomped over and pulled his shirt over his head revealing his muscles, he also flexed them as he did so. He figured this was good intimidation for both Trent and Justin. He winked at Courtney who had her sunglasses perched on the end of her nose, "Hey princess."

She chuckled, "Hi Duncan."

Duncan noticed Trent raise an eyebrow at her; Justin rolled his eyes. Duncan stretched and then dove into the pool. After swimming for a bit, he swam to the wall closest to Courtney and placed his elbows on the ground resting.  
"…it was amazing that you were able to perform so well! Whenever I incorporate that much emotion into my work it seems to draw out too long and lacks variety, guess that says a lot about me, huh," Duncan eavesdropped and hear Trent say.

"No, of course not," Courtney laughed, "Maybe your problem is that you're thinking while you play. Whenever I go off the sheets I just feel the music. My mind is completely blank. It is one of the rare moments it is. I'd love to hear one of your songs!"

Trent scratched the back of his neck, "It's a date," Duncan shot out of the pool at those words, "Maybe we could write in a part for the violin!"

Duncan couldn't understand how his princess could go from making out with him to being here making plans with Mr. Sap. He tried to stare at her to get her attention, she eventually glanced over and saw his look of urgency. She said her goodbye's and got up and walked out of the area. Duncan followed suit.

* * *

Courtney giggled as Duncan tackled her onto her bed. He was determined to make it known that 'casual fun' was exclusive. "Princess," He murmured into her neck, "I don't like that Trent thinks you two playing music together is a date."

She rubbed the bridge of her nose and pushed his head away from her, "I don't think he meant it that way."

Duncan looked her in the eyes and wanted to disagree with her, but her eyes were tired - tired of fighting. He sighed and nodded, "If you say so."

Her eyes brightened at the fact there was no argument and she smiled, "Thank you for trusting me."

He had to show her that he really had changed. He had to show her that he could be trusted and that he trusted her. Duncan loved Courtney, and he would do anything to make sure that love prevailed.

 _ **AN:**_ _I am very sorry for the long hiatus! This chapter is fairly short, but it is one of the few that does not include a competition or elimination. I hope you enjoy reading!_


	7. Chapter 7

_She had the house all to herself for the weekend, and she was extremely grateful for it. On her way home from school Thursday, she was bombarded by paparazzi. All inquiring how she felt about the Duncan and Gwen romance heating up. In all truthfulness, she hoped it was all a lie. She hoped that they were miserable. She hoped that their relationship was a ticking time bomb. She hoped that he missed her as much as she missed him._

 _…_

 _But she knew that this was reality. They were the perfect pair. Every trait of their personality aligned. She had spent all night crying. She was weak, she needed to get her act together. She was THE Courtney Satella. She sniffled as she stumbled down the stairs, she may have unlocked the liquor cabinet after school Friday to make herself feel better. She was an idiot, it was a Duncan move - which was exactly why she did it._

 _She regretted it now. Hangovers did not look good on her. Duncan could always somehow pull off acting normal when he had one. Then again, she shouldn't envy how much practice he had._

 _She needed to get the mail, she was awaiting a dreaded letter from her dad regarding her plans with him this summer. She let out a yelp when the sun blinded her. She trudged her way to the mailbox slowly opening it because she knew how the sound would hurt her. She absentmindedly snatched the mail and rushed inside to avoid the annoying light._

 _The kitchen was begging to be used. Duncan had taught her his hangover cure, a smoothie with way too many ingredients. It worked for her before. To be clear, she had only been drunk once before. She actually had only drank twice before. The second time was when her and Duncan were celebrating with some of the others from Total Drama for it finally being done (or so they thought). She was angry with herself for getting carried away and furious at Duncan for encouraging her to do so. He always pushed her to do stupid, irresponsible things._

 _After finally drinking some of her smoothie remedy, she flipped through the mail when she got to a large envelope with her name on it. She dropped her glass, the contents along with the glass shattering on the ground. It was Duncan's handwriting. She knew it because he had the tendency to write in the motions he used for tagging. Quickly, she ripped the envelope open and pulled out what was inside._

 _"No…," she let out the breath she didn't known she had been holding._

 _In her hands was the latest_ Teen Pop _magazine. Duncan and Gwen were plastered across the front giggling at a nerd they had just soaked with a water ballon. Then there was a smaller picture of Courtney frazzled, but only because all of the paparazzi had flustered her right after her student council meeting (which she ended up getting her way in)._

 _A note was attached to it._

 _"Flip to page 32," it read._

 _She couldn't get to the page quick enough. It was an interview with Duncan over his new relationship. One line was highlighted._

 _"Do you miss being with your previous girlfriend, Courtney? —HA! That overbearing brat, no way. Gwen is so much better for me. We actually have fun, Courtney was way too boring for me anyways."_

 _That was all that was in the package._

* * *

Courtney shot up out of bed. She had to stop making a habit out of this. She had forgotten about that horrible package Duncan had sent. She needed to blow off steam, so she got dressed and then rushed out of the room with her violin. The drawn out halls were hard to navigate, but she just went where her feet took her. Somehow, she found herself on another floor, drawn towards an amazing melody. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Trent dashing his fingers across a piano. He was not in his usual attire—actually he was in his pajamas. He moved like a river across the keys. Flowing back and forth, not a note was awkward. She was not familiar with the piece he was playing, but it was beautiful. Eventually, he came to a halt and let the last chords fade out.

"Wow," was all that could leave Courtney's mouth.

Trent shot up, obviously surprised. His face quickly turned red as he tried to mat down his hair that looked wild. "I now see your point about how annoying it is when I sneak up on you," He stuttered.

She laughed, and sat down on the piano bench setting her case aside. "I thought the guitar was your thing," she lightly started pressing down random keys, glancing up at him.

He slid back down beside her. "Yeah, I love the guitar, but I started learning how to play the piano about two years ago and it was like falling in love all over again. I can't resist playing every now and then," he explained.

"What are you doing up so early?"

It was only 5:30 AM. Trent scratched the back of his neck, "I couldn't get to sleep. I got this melody stuck in my head and would hate myself if I didn't write it down. Then I couldn't resist actually playing it. What about you? Doesn't the 'princess' need her rest."

"Bad dream, or memory I guess. I was coming to play when I heard you. Do you mean you wrote that," She inquired.

"Yeah, the guitar and piano aren't all that different to me," his hands joined hers on the keys as he began to play what she remembered as 'Clair de Lune', "Want to talk about your bad memory?"

She nodded and began filling him on the situation. "Granted, it was a long time ago, but I can't shake the humiliation I felt after reading that. Plus, it will _always_ be out there now."

Trent had stopped playing after a while, "Courtney, that is horrid."

"It is, isn't it?"

"Maybe I am overstepping, but I think you should slow it down with him," he said. She had filled him in on their 'casual fun' they had been having.

"Really," She sighed.

He turned to face her and grabbed her hands, "Courtney, I know that we all thought you were hard to handle before, but after getting to know you I see why you put up that act. I am so happy that you have trusted me enough to share with me, so I am going to be completely honest with you. Maybe Duncan has changed, but, even so, you deserve to call the shots. Don't let him reserve you just for himself just yet. He needs to see just how amazing you are. Wait till he deserves to have you exclusively to be just with him. Till then, you can focus on yourself and your dreams."

She had felt her cheeks turn red as Trent showered her in compliments. It had been almost a month since Duncan and she had rekindled their relationship. Since then, the competitors had been reduced to: herself, Duncan, Trent, Geoff (but without Bridgette he was a mess), LeShawna, Tyler, Justin, Katie, and Sadie. Chris had hit them with challenge after challenge so it did not talk long for the number to dwindle to less than 10. Duncan had found several ways to get the two of them privacy since then. It was fun, she couldn't deny how much she missed him. Nevertheless, sometimes she would have flashbacks, like her past nightmare, where she would remember something horrid he did. She truly considered what Trent had to say, and decided he was right.

"I think I will talk to him today about making sure we aren't exclusive just yet."

He smiled and realized he was still holding her hands and dropped them, "Umm, would you want to collab?"

She stood up and pulled out her violin, "I would love that."

* * *

Duncan hopped down on the grass beside her and started nibbling at her neck as she read. She huffed as she tried to refocus on her prep book for college, "Duncan, come on. I really need to finish this."

"Uh huh, can't you finish it after we enjoy some alone time," he whispered as he captured her lips.

She started to lean back when she remembered her talk with Trent earlier. Lightly, she pushed his shoulder to raise both of them back up and detached herself from him, "We need to talk."

Duncan pouted, "That doesn't sound good."

"I don't think we should be exclusive," she blurted out, and then quickly added, "just yet!"

"Wh-what?"

"I just need to think," Courtney ran a hand through her hair.

Duncan took her hand in his, "Did I do something wro-"

"COMPETITORS GET TO THE LOBBY NOW," Chris screamed over the intercoms.

Duncan eyes pleaded with her as she rose up. "I still want to continue our casual fun though," she reassured him as they began to walk back to the lobby.

* * *

"Sick," Geoff exclaimed as another bloody shot ran across the projector. Chris had declared it a movie night and was playing some horror movie she was not familiar with. She hated horror movies, but Duncan loved them. They would have dates where he would start one just so she would be hiding her face on his chest the entire time. She was struggling to keep herself from jumping on him to hide herself from the screen.

As if he read her mind, Duncan leaned over and whispered in her ear, "You know I am still a superb shield. I don't mind you using me to hide."

With her stubbornness, this just set Courtney's determination off even more to force herself to watch the movie. However, it did not take long for her nerves to get the best of her and she jumped… only not in the direction that was preferred by Duncan. Without noticing due to her being petrified, she had nuzzled her head into her _other_ neighbor's chest.

Trent was startled at first, especially with the death glare he was receiving from Duncan. The old him would have been a coward and quickly push Courtney off his chest to avoid confrontation with Duncan. However, he meant every word he said earlier to Courtney so he enjoyed acting as a security blanket for her. Unintentionally, he rested his hand on her back while the other laid flat by his side.

Courtney soon became well aware of the situation that she had put herself in. For some unknown reason, she didn't move. Maybe she was tired of always staying available till Duncan was ready to come back. Maybe she was simply scared of the movie and didn't want to risk seeing another second of it. But she knew that those weren't the true reasons behind her remaining on Trent's chest. He smelled incredible, like spring. His hand was warm against her back.

Eventually, Duncan stood up and stomped off, making it clear to everyone that he was upset. Courtney huffed and gave Trent a half smile as she got up to chase after him. He gave her a knowing nod as she exited the lobby.

* * *

"DUNCAN," Courtney shouted as she ran after him in some random part of the hotel. He came to a halt almost making her slam into his back. He spun around on his heel with his arms crossed, obviously annoyed with her.

"What the hell was that, Courtney," he demanded an explanation from her.

Courtney rubbed her temples, "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me," he huffed, "You were _cuddling_ with ROMEO. You said nothing was there."

"You were the one who was teasing me about being afraid of movies. I didn't want to give you the satisfaction of using you as my shield. PLUS, we are trying to keep our situation SECRET. You storming out like a toddler did not help our situation. Me following after you sure did not either. Not to mention, that I clarified earlier that we are NOT exclusive," She began getting fired up as they fell into their usual argument positions, their foreheads almost pressing against each other as they both began to get angry.

"You've got to be kidding me right now. I didn't ask you to follow after me. You are the one who is a WUSS who can't even make it through a poorly filmed horror movie. And do not get me started on us being not exclusive. Did you clarify that today just so you could cuddle with that-that CLINGY-," Duncan's rant was cut off by the sound of a chainsaw as a masked, large man came out from the corner.

Courtney shrieked and Duncan quickly picked her up in his arms bridal style and started running. "WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL," He shouted.

The large man was having trouble catching up to them. It didn't take long for the two of them to lose sight of him and find themselves on a the boy's floor in Duncan's room.

Courtney look terrified as she laid on his bed. "What wa-was that?"

Duncan ran his hand through his hair, which was back to its old style but he had ran out of dye so his mohawk had begun to fade once more, "I'm guessing this is a rewind of the first season challenge of the horror movie and then Chef chased us all. AKA the most idiotic challenge ever. We had to avoid being caught by him."

Silence fell over the two of them. Courtney couldn't help herself when she blurted, "Just so we're clear. Trent is _not_ clingy. Gwen is just a b****." Courtney slapped a hand over her mouth after she cursed.

Duncan's jaw dropped. "Who knew profanity sounded sexy coming out of your mouth," He chuckled. He laid down beside her and gently took her head in his hands as he guided their lips together. Soon they had progressed into a heated make out session.

* * *

Courtney sighed as she rolled over to face Duncan. He was still admiring her. "Man, I missed that _a lot_ ," He confessed, "Maybe we argued so much before so we could have feisty fun like that."

She rolled her eyes as she began gathering her clothes and getting dressed. Duncan threw a pillow at her in protest. "I wouldn't put it past you," She smirked, "When is this challenge going to be over?"

Duncan shrugged as he put his hands behind his head, his eyes never leaving her. "Eh, Chris will call eventually for all of us."

"I hate to be the downer, but you do realize we solved nothing," Courtney admitted.

He groaned, "Don't tell me you're actually interested in the guy who always wears a shirt with a hand on it. I mean, what is up with that?"

"He's nice, and the hand means he is always willing to lend a helping _hand_ to whoever needs it. I don't know what's there, but, if I am being completely honest, I think there may be something more," she confessed.

"UGH," Duncan slammed a pillow over his head, he lifted it as he continued to speak, "You even know what the dumb hand means. What about us, princess?"

Her shoulders fell, "There seems to be a strong chance for an 'us' to be possible, but until this season is done and I'm sure, I can't promise you anything. I don't expect you to wait for me, that is unfair to ask of yo-"

"Oh, I'm waiting. You're the one for me. That will be the same today, as it will be a year from now."

She didn't know exactly how to react. So, she just kissed him.

Duncan didn't mind.

* * *

"Chef," Chris said menacingly, "You have lost your touch."

"EXCUSE ME," Chef shouted back, startling all of the contestants sitting in the lobby, "MAYBE IF YOU CAME UP WITH A DECENT CHALLENGE THAT NOT EVERYONE ALREADY KNEW SOMEONE WOULD HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED."

Chris had beads of sweat forming on his forehead, "Now let's not get upset. We will just have a double elimination since tonight was such a failure."

Everyone had caught on to what the challenge was in no time. Quickly finding decent hiding spots. The hotel was much too large for Chef to manage to catch anyone. Since no one was caught, no one had immunity.

Eventually, Courtney made her way into the conference room with everyone's headshot. She already knew that she wanted Justin out, he was really annoying to her lately. After examining the remaining contestants carefully, she decided that she would also vote Tyler out.

Out of habit, she held up the two pictures. "Justin, stop hitting on me. Tyler, … take this in the lightest way possible, but … I'm not entirely sure how you made it this far."

After everyone had voted, Duncan and Courtney sat in the corner laughing at Justin. He thought his mirror was cursed because the handle had gotten a scratch on it. Chef stomped over to the two of them interrupting their laughter.

"Okay, it's the end of the line for you," Chef huffed tapping his knife on his hip.

Courtney felt her heart sank, she actually thought she had a chance. She slowly stood up with her head held low. Duncan kissed her hand and whispered something she couldn't make out.

"Woah, not you Miss CIT," Chef tapped her shoulder, "I've been waiting to drag this delinquent out for I don't know how many seasons now."

Both Courtney and Duncan drew in a breath. This was never how it happened. She never lasted longer than Duncan. "Duncan," Courtney almost pleaded.

Duncan gave her a half smile, "Nah, it's okay princess. I was getting tired of keeping up the bad boy act anyhow."

Without caring who saw, he kissed her forehead, gave her a wink, and strolled out of the hotel like he owned the place. Courtney found herself stuck to the spot as she heard Justin crying about being eliminated. This shook her out of her dumbfounded state. She ran out to the truck and leaned against the side.

"I'll miss you," She sighed.

Duncan leaned his face closer to hers, "I'll miss you too."

The two of them shared the most passionate kiss Courtney could ever recall between the two of them. Duncan only pulled away because the truck lurched forward. He had an awestruck look on his face. "Hey," He called out to her, "You owe me a date after you win this thing! My treat!"

She giggled, tears about to fall off the brim of her eyes. "I wouldn't have it any other way," She replied blowing a kiss in his direction.

* * *

"Yes, mother," Courtney huffed, "I know we tried the whole dating thing before… He has changed! … Mom! I can make my own decisions now… Yes, Trent is my friend… MOTHER! Trent is my _friend_!… What did you hear from them?! … So, you mean they like me on the show?! … They want to use me as a spokesperson for their school?! … AHHHHHHHHHH! Does that mean… AHHHHHHHH! WHAT?! OF COURSE I WANT TO BE MCGILL'S SPOKESPERSON! So… I DO GET THE FINANCIAL AID?! YES! … Okay, thank you for the amazing news, mom… Yes, I'll keep in touch… I have to go now, love you… Bye."

Courtney was freaking out over this amazing news! Now she didn't have to worry about paying for college AND she had the savings from the show AND she gets to promote the school of her DREAMS! She couldn't stop herself from jumping around the room she had designated for music and phone calls. When she finally calmed down she saw Trent standing in the doorway.

She straightened out her shirt, not completely sure how much he had heard, if he had heard anything at all. He may have just been staring at her for jumping around like a four year old. She was about to speak when he ran over to her and picked her up off the ground. He held her in a tight hug spinning her around. "THIS IS AMAZING," Trent laughed.

She told him at the community center a while back about her dream school, so he was well aware of how much this meant to her. She was laughing uncontrollably as he spun her around. Eventually, he put her down.

He still held her in his arms as he gave her a wide grin, "I'm a little offended that you never told me you got in to McGill University, but I'll let it slide. I'm too happy for you to be upset."

Courtney chuckled, "I was trying to keep it secret because I really needed the money from the show to pay for school. However, the school reconsidered after all the showtime one of their future students is getting."

Trent gazed at her, "I knew you could do it. You're just so… amazing."

It was then that she realized how close the two of them were still. She was in his embrace, her face merely inches away from his. He bit his bottom lip, making it obvious he was aware of their closeness too. He started to rethink himself as he leaned his face closer to hers. She decided to reassure him by meeting his lips with hers.

Trent was happy. Courtney was confused. Duncan was angry.


	8. Chapter 8

_"Oh, princess," Duncan cackled, "I so know when you are lying!"_

 _Courtney huffed, she was trying to hide his birthday surprise. She had lied to him and told him she was studying, "You cannot! I study all the time!"_

 _"Babe," He picked up a stray strand of streamer, "Studying with you does not involve streamers. Besides, you do that thing with your tongue. You run it across your teeth after you lie."_

 _"I do not," She retorted realizing her point was completely lost after she ran her tongue across her teeth out of instinct._

 _Duncan flicked the streamer and flung his arm around her shoulders. He pecked her cheek, "Thanks, princess. I am sure this is going to be a rocking party… You had Geoff help, right?"_

 _She rolled her eyes, "Of course. It wouldn't be your type of party without Geoff's help."_

 _He laughed, "Tonight will be awesome."_

* * *

"Is this really necessary," Courtney nagged as she was hooked up to a lie detector test.

"Yes," Chris stated shortly, "What isn't necessary is your constant complaining. SHUT UP PEOPLE!"

It had been a week since Duncan had left, one more contestant had left since then - Geoff. Leaving Courtney, LeShawna, Katie, Sadie, Tyler, and Trent as the last six contestants. Courtney was getting more anxious by the day, she had never thought that she would make it this far into the competition. Now, she had plenty of money left over after buying her books for this school year.

Trent was hooked up to his own machine next to her. He flashed her a cheeky grin. The two of them had been hanging out more often. She wasn't exactly sure what they were doing, but she also knew she didn't want it to stop, at least not yet.

Chris marched to the middle of the room. All six contestants were hooked up to lie detectors. They were in an auditorium like room. Several rows of theater seats faced the competitors. To be quite honest, Courtney was getting antsy in her chair. She didn't have anything to lie about, but she also didn't want everything that had been going on in her life out on display. None of them were sure what the criteria of this competition would be.

"CHEF," Chris shouted, despite Chef being right next to him, "Bring the eliminated in."

As if they heard Chris themselves, the eliminated contestants walked in. They seated themselves in the theater seats across from them. Courtney's eyes automatically went to Duncan, who had few of his piercings in and his hair not in his usual mohawk. She smiled at him, but all he returned was a grimace. Gwen looked at her deliberately as she sat down on the open seat beside Duncan. Courtney clenched both her fists and teeth. Duncan didn't pay Gwen any attention though. Geoff was freaking out about his new appearance.

Once everyone was settled and the cameramen had all spots they wanted covered, Chris began to explain what was going on, "Welcome to the challenge that will determine the final 5. Congratulations to all of you for making it this far! We are trying something a bit different from the past. So, as you all are well aware of, each of you are hooked up to lie detectors. Not only that, but while our helpers were doing that, they also hooked you up to this device," He proceeded to hold up a metal box with a dial and button, "Which will shock you, at my request. You lie, you will get shocked. Also you notice the monitor above me, each of your faces appear on it and will have a tally kept up next to it. Whoever lies the most is automatically eliminated, and then another will be eliminated after this is over. Now -"

"But who gets to ask us questions here," LeShawna spoke up, eying the wires attached to her with concern.

"UGH WHY MUST ALL YOU ALWAYS INTERRUPT ME," Chris yelled, he took a moment to calm down, "I am… sorry. Good question, those who have been eliminated, sitting behind me, will ask you any question they would like. It is up to you whether or not to answer honestly. Do you all comprehend the parameters of this competition?"

The remaining six nodded reluctantly. Chris flashed his pearly smile, "Perfect, and just to make sure this thing is working, we will have a test shock."

Before anyone could react, Chris had slammed his finger onto the button. Courtney let out a scream as she literally jolted out of her chair. She landed roughly back on it. She looked over to Trent with pleading eyes, his hair was a bit fried. He gave her a reassuring shrug.

The questions were pretty easy at first. Lindsay asked Tyler what his favorite make out session of theirs was. Heather asked LeShawna if her earrings were knock offs, to which LeShawna answered honestly and that she should knock her off her chair. Geoff asked Trent if he had ever partied hard. Gwen asked Sadie what was the most annoying thing Katie had ever done to her. Then Duncan raised his hand, gracing everyone with his middle finger raised proudly.

"Princess," He almost spat, Courtney looked at him curiously, "Did you kiss Trent?"

She took in a sharp breath. Were there cameras around for that? She couldn't lie, nobody had yet. She didn't want to be eliminated that way. She gulped, "Um, yeah…"

Trent's face had began to turn red. Gwen had scoffed and flung her hand in the air.

"Trent," Gwen was angry and wanted to have a leg up here, she remembered Justin's question from the Truth or Dare or Face your Fears episode, "Who's the better kisser: me or her?"

Trent let out a nervous chuckle, "Um, well… You see…"

Chris rolled his eyes, "We don't have all month. Hurry it up or be the first to lie."

Trent's eyes widened. Courtney knew why he was so afraid, she saw how cramped his hands got the first shock, it would make it harder for him to play his instruments. "Courtney," he exclaimed quickly before Chris could shock him.

Everyone was silent as they waited for the lie detector to confirm it… His heart rate said he told the truth. Now it was Courtney's turn to blush. Luckily, the spotlight turned away from them for a little bit.

"Princess," Duncan called on her again, she believed his agitation with her had subsided a bit, "Why did you pull away from me before I was eliminated, when you made us non-exclusive?"

"WAIT," LeShawna held up one hand, "You mean to tell me you two are back together and you didn't tell your roomie?!"

Courtney ran a hand through her hair nervously, "NO! We aren't back together, we are just in a state of 'casual fun.'"

"Answer Duncan's question, Courtney," Chris reminded her.

She sighed, "I pulled away because I had this nightmare of something you did to me before."

"Being vague does not equal the truth," Chris explained, "Fess up or be shocked."

"Okay! It was when you mailed me that magazine that was profiling your relationship with Gwen. You had a note on front of the magazine that told me to flip to page 32," It was at this time that she noticed Duncan had began to look very confused while Gwen had began to blush through her makeup, "And you had a portion of your interview highlighted or underlined, I can't remember clearly, but-but it said you said you didn't miss me at all and that I was overbearing and boring. I remembered how much pain I went through just after the breakup, with no regards to the cheating, and I couldn't let myself fall for you again without really thinking about it first."

Tears had sprung to her eyes as she recalled the memory on national television, she blinked them away. Duncan watched the lie detector, it was almost like he expected her to be lying. When it was obvious she wasn't lying, he spoke up, "Not to maybe shock you… literally, but I never had an interview or mailed you a magazine…"

Courtney looked at Trent and then to Chris, "But that happened. It was your handwriting and your return address."

"OOOOO," Chris cackled, "DRAMAAAAA! Why don't we change this up, guys hook Duncan up to a lie detector and the shock system," Chris watched as his workers brought Duncan up on the stage, but that was when he noticed how nervous Gwen looked, "Hook Gwen up too."

Gwen's jaw dropped, "But- Why me?!"

"I don't know, I just have a feeling," Chris shrugged.

It didn't take long for the two of them to be added into the system. "So," Chris smirked, "It seems to me that we are going to focus on this magazine that Courtney was mailed. However, it does seem crucial that we ask the right questions here."

Beth's hand shot up, "Gwen, do you know who mailed the magazine?"

Gwen rolled her eyes and replied monotonously, "No."

A couple of seconds passed before it was detected that she was lying, and she was shocked. She screamed before she growled towards Chris.

"Now, we will ask you again," Chris said menacingly, "Do you know who mailed the magazine?"

Gwen spat, "Yes."

Heather's hand snaked itself into the air, "Gwen, did _you_ mail the magazine to Courtney?"

Still shaken from the last shock, she said as confident as she could, "No."

A mere few seconds passed before she was shocked again. "S***! OKAY! YES, I MAILED THE F****** MAGAZINE!"

Courtney wish she had been surprised, but after finding out Duncan didn't mail the magazine, she noticed how suspicious Gwen looked. "Wow," Courtney sighed, she leaned forward to look at Duncan, "Are we okay, Duncan?"

"Of course, princess," Duncan shot her his half smile, "I would've done the same thing if I thought you had done that to me."

Gwen scoffed.

Justin raised his hand, while the other held his mirror that he couldn't look away from, "Gwen, why did you mail the magazine?"

Chris couldn't hide his proud smile. He had made some cunning competitors from his show. They would not lighten up on this girl.

"Because," Gwen was forcing the words out of her mouth, "Because I had just found a picture of Courtney over at Duncan's earlier that week. He had it framed and everything. I was mad, so I emailed interview answers over to that magazine and then 'claimed' my territory by mailing it to Courtney."

Heather laughed, "Now I know I'm a b****, but even I wouldn't do something like that."

"Ummm, hello? What about you reading my journal in front of everyone," Gwen retorted.

Owen grimaced, "Hmmm, definitely not as mean."

Duncan leaned forward, "Princess, I'm sorry that you had to go through that."

Courtney should've been more upset. After all, Gwen did a horrible thing to her, but… she was really flattered that Duncan had kept a picture of her. She gave him a shrug, "I'm okay."

Heather rolled her eyes, obviously fed up with the spotlight not including her for the majority of this competition. Her hand snaked its way into the air, "Trent," She snarled almost, "What is your deal with the number nine?"

Trent just smiled, despite despising the girl, "It's just my lucky number."

Some moments passed, then Trent was shocked, rather violently. When he came to rest in his chair again, he started breathing violently. He gripped at his chest, gasping for air. Sweat started to form on his forehead, his eyes grew wide. Everyone's attention turned to him. He started to shout something, it was undecipherable.

"Trent," Chris questioned as he ran over to him, "Trent? Are you okay?! TRENT!"

No one could break through to him, it was like he was disconnected from the world. His panicked state only continued to worsen.

Chris turned back frantically and started shouting, "TURN OFF THE CAMERAS NOW! THIS IS NOT A JOKE! TURN THEM OFF NO-"

* * *

 **A/N: Soooo, unexpected ending, am I right? I hope you enjoyed reading! Leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

**_A/N_** _: I am now completely aware this story does not correlate with the Trent's number nine story from TDA. I recently binged the first two seasons of total drama and realized I had forgotten he told why he was so obsessed with the number nine. But let's be real here, this story has a lot out of character moments. It's such a habit to want to make the characters perfect, but that doesn't make for a good story. My apologies, I plan on writing a new fanfic that is more in character after wrapping this one up! (Also, I am so sorry I took such a long hiatus; we all know how life gets in the way sometimes.) Now, onto the story._

* * *

 _'Hey dude when r u gonna show up 2 rehearsal?'_

 _Trent hit send without giving it a second thought. His band had a huge gig coming up; they were playing for a college party, which was uncharted territory for them. He was already nervous enough, he didn't need Derek, his bandmate, showing up late for practice._

 _His phone vibrated in his hand. He opened the text from Derek, 'About 8 min awdlkf'_

 _"What the heck," Trent stared at his phone. He tossed it aside, figuring it wasn't worth the worry. He grabbed his guitar and started practicing his part along with Flynn, the drummer of the group._

* * *

All of the contestants sat impatiently in the hospital's lobby. Trent ended up passing out after the shock. The producers were all there giving Chris a mouth full. It seemed like it was a silent understanding that everyone _needed_ Trent to be okay. After so many years together, every one of them would admit (some would be more hesitant to, but nevertheless) that they had all become a family of sorts. They were all here for him. Not a single one of them left the hospital all night. The silence was upon them, it was unwelcome. There was always commotion with this makeshift family, but for the first time ever, there was nothing. If anyone shed a tear, they did so silently. It seemed that after years of forcing drama out of their lives for ratings, they had decided silence was the only thing that could properly serve this calamity

The doctor that had been giving them updates came out, Chris and the producers rushed to the front to hear any news. "Well, your friend is going to be okay," Everyone let out the breath they hadn't known they had been holding, "He had a panic attack. We are bringing in a psychologist ASAP to diagnosis the origins of the attack. We are allowing visitors to see him, but please keep it to just two at a time. Remember, he does not need to be stressed out after this."

It was an unspoken understanding that everyone would put on brave faces as they saw Trent. Courtney had trod to the front of the group, it seemed that everyone would wait back as she checked on him. A nurse entered the room with her. The nurse carried a tray of food, Courtney didn't really take note of what else she did in the room. Every person around her disappeared, every sound went silent, all that she could see was Trent - pale, sunken eyes, unmoving. Some light came to his eyes as Courtney entered the room. She struggled to keep a smile on her face. He didn't need to sense her turmoil of emotions.

"He-ey," he croaked. His voice shot after he shouted, begging for air.

"Hi," she almost whispered, making her way to his bedside, "How are you feeling?"

Trent gave her a half smile, "Like I can breathe. I'm sorry for freaking you all out like this, I don't know what happened."

Courtney grabbed his hand, "Trent, don't apologize. None of this is your fault."

"Sure does feel like it ." He chuckled.

"Oh," Courtney remembered, "I hope you don't mind, but I brought you something."

She pulled out a guitar pick out of her pocket and placed it in his hand. He flipped it around, "Thank you, but… how did you get my pick?"

"You left it in the music room from the other day," she explained, "I was going to give it back after the challenge ended."

He stared down at his pick. His mind was troubled by it. He couldn't understand it, but it seemed his mind wanted nothing to do with the pick. Despite the trepidation in his mind, he put on a smile and started to talk to Courtney as if nothing was wrong.

* * *

"My name is Felicity. It's nice to meet you," a woman who he didn't recognize shook his hand.

"I'm Trent, you too. Do you happen to know when I'll be getting out of here," he asked. He had gotten very restless as he sat through every one of his visitors.

She smiled lightly, "Just after I ask you a few questions. How did you feel when you started to shout in front of you contestants?"

"I felt like I was suffocating."

"Would you say that you have ever felt something similar to that episode before?"

"I mean, yeah. It just was worse probably because of the added shock," he was skeptical of the questions.

"Do you associate what happened to you as a panic attack?"

"What? No way. It was just my body being literally in shock, that's all," he felt angry at these questions. His heart monitor started to beep more frequently, it went unnoticed by him though. The woman took note of it.

"Would you say you have anxiety?"

Trent rolled his eyes, "No, of course not."

She nodded, "The footage shows that the last question you were asked was about the number nine. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it's my lucky number. I don't understand why I was shocked. I told the truth."

"Why is the number nine your lucky number?"

He shrugged, "I don't know."

"When did it become your lucky number?"

He thought back, "Probably like three years ago."

She continued to write down something on her clipboard. "Three years ago, you were a freshman, right?"

"Sophomore," he corrected, "I became a year behind after spending so much time on the show."

"Did anything significant happen three years ago?"

He absentmindedly started tapping his fingers on a piano that was not there, "Umm, I started my band. Gwen and I broke up. I got my first B. … Derek died."

The demeanor around him changed. His eyes were dimmed and unfocused as if he was in a different world.

* * *

 _He burst through the hospital emergency wing doors. Out of breath, he ran up to Derek's parents. Derek's mom was sobbing into her husband's arms. Derek's brother was frantically running his hands through his hair, pacing the waiting room. Nobody had heard any updates on Derek._

 _Trent decided Liam, Derek's older brother, would be the easiest to talk to. "What happened?"_

 _Liam had bloodshot eyes, "He got into a crash on the corner of Ford and Durham Lane. He ran a stop sign, apparently, he was texting. I just don't get it, he's such a careful driver and -"_

 _Trent has stopped listening when he heard that he had been texting. Could he have been the reason Derek crashed? He had to be. He saw the text from Derek, it was incomprehensible. It must have been him. Trent prayed that he would be ok. This had to work out, Derek was a good guy. He was the best person he knew. He had always been there for Trent._

 _Hours passed, every second was filled with another reason why Derek should be ok. Trent remembered every little thing Derek did to give back. There was no way someone who gave so much back to everyone would be taken away. Derek didn't deserve this. A doctor that Derek's family recognized and stood up as he walked towards them. Trent assumed this was the doctor who was operating on Derek. He rushed over to hear what the doctor was saying to the others._

 _"-we knew going into surgery that the success rate would be low. I am so sorry for your loss."_

 _Everything went black around Trent. He killed Derek. If he had just waited NINE minutes, Derek would still be alive._

* * *

"You didn't kill your friend."

Trent sat up, shouting, "Oh really? So if I had just waited NINE minutes so that Derek could've made it to our rehearsal, he wouldn't be alive? I was the text he replied to that made him miss that stop sign! I took his life! How am I supposed to live with myself after that? I learned piano to try to honor him! I do everything to give back to the community like he would have! But the truth is HE. IS. DEAD. And it's my fault."

Felicity straightened her back. "Can I be candid with you?"

Trent flopped back down on the mattress. He was out of energy.

She took that as permission to continue. "Humans have this awful tendency to place blame where they don't have the authority to do so. Usually, it's placed upon others; but, you are one of the selfless ones. These people blame themselves so that others may feel some sort of closure. However, the truth of the matter is that this closure that you're attempting to provide is entirely false. Derek made the mistake, not you. From what you've said about your friend, I know that he would not want you to live with this weight on your shoulders. Despite this, you knew him. So, I'll ask you: Do you think Derek would blame you for his death?"

Trent took a moment, his entire friendship with Derek flashing in his mind. Derek and he knew each other better than anyone else. Derek helped Trent own up to his mistakes many times, he could almost hear Derek saying, "Trent, let me own up to my own mistakes. You don't have to take this one for me."

Trent began to cry, and sobbed out, "No."


	10. Chapter 10

_The first break up didn't hurt. Hell, the fifteenth break up didn't hurt. Because, at the end of the day, she knew that she could still go back to him. Or maybe it was that he knew he could always go back to her. Perhaps that's what made the end of the relationship inevitable—the fact that they treated each other as a safety net, a backup plan, a second option. It wasn't until May 9th that her heart broke; the day that he walked away as she was sobbing in a park. The day where he said what they both were always thinking—that they would never work out in the long run, that they were incompatible. No, her heart didn't break, it was crushed. Broke makes it sound as if it were a clean break, two halves that could be put together. But the reality was she would never be the same, she would never feel comfortable letting someone in as much as she did him. Never again would she tell someone about her family troubles or her fears or her hopes and dreams. Because the only thing Courtney Satella could rely on was herself._

* * *

And for that heartbreak, all Courtney could manage to say as Trent packed his things was, "I hate to see you go."

Trent latched his guitar case and turned back to her. They had all returned back to the hotel. In a sick turn of events, Trent was the only contestant who lied that was still in the game. The producers offered the option for Trent to stay, but he turned it down. He knew he had lost.

Trent placed a kiss on her cheek (she flinched), "Eh, it'll be okay. One less person for you to beat when you win this game."

"This is true," she laughed awkwardly. She still wasn't entirely sure where the two of them stood, but now was definitely not the time to discuss it. Her mind was completely wrecked after Gwen's confession, and to be completely honest, while it may have helped Duncan look like a better guy, it didn't take back his words as he left her on the bench the night he ended things. It didn't take back the fact that he blocked her, got new social media, did anything and everything he could to completely cut her out of his life. And, the sad thing is, she had to just accept it. Because, at any point in time, someone in their lives could decide they wanted nothing to do with them anymore, and that's just how life was. Trent wasn't Duncan; Duncan wasn't Trent. It didn't matter who either of them was or is, what mattered is that Courtney had gone through too much heartbreak. After watching her father leave, after watching her mom do nothing but sob for months, after staring at a broken violin deciding that's all she amounted to, she had officially given up. She couldn't deal with any more heartbreak, and it wasn't until she was on the verge of losing Trent that she realized this.

His eyes narrowed, "What's wrong?"

Courtney sucked in a breath, "Nothing, I was just worried about you. I'm so happy you're okay."

And that was the truth, he was okay. That's all she needed from him, for him to be okay. Just like that's all she needed for Duncan. Her mind was muddled with fear. She was vulnerable and it was her fault. She allowed herself to become attached to Duncan, even Trent in a small way, and her happiness somehow became dependent upon him. When he left, she went numb. She cried herself to sleep only to be woken up by dreams about him. There was no escape. She felt like there was no one for her. She still felt like that, but she was a C.I.T., no way was she letting herself repeat her mistakes.

"You're lying," Trent stated bluntly as he set his guitar down.

He was right. She was lying, but how could she let herself feel anything again? She let herself find this temporary happiness within Trent and she was disgusted with herself. She felt as if she used him, and that once again she let herself feel happiness through another person. Trent wasn't going to make her happy forever; when she was left alone with her thoughts, she still thought about that night. She still heard his words ringing in her head. She still often cried herself to sleep. Trent couldn't fix that, and she shouldn't expect him to. He obviously had his own problems he needed to sort through, and she needed to stop being a stupid, selfish girl.

The silence had grown uncomfortable and Trent pulled her in for a hug. She just remained motionless in his arms. "I don't know what you're going through," Trent sighed. "But I'm here for you, I always will be. I promise."

She pulled herself out of his arms. "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep."

* * *

 _Here is a really short chapter. I'm sorry for the long breaks in between chapters and hope you enjoy._


	11. Chapter 11

_"You're just into me so much now because I won," Duncan smirked from across the table at Huddle House. "I'm into it. Makes me feel like you're my fangirl."_

 _Courtney gagged. "As if. I wasn't surprised, anybody could've won against Beth." To be completely honest, ever since she got her supposed boyfriend (Courtney still didn't fully believe he wasn't a hired actor) Beth has been annoying as hell._

 _He laughed as he grabbed his napkin again trying to get the little remains of ink off her face. "She's aight. Nothing against me though. Most importantly, this money means I can live on the wild side without having to worry about not being able to get myself out of trouble."_

 _"Oh no you don't," She swatted his hand away. "You are going to be responsible about this, Dun-"_

 _"Pleaseee princess, when have I ever been responsible?"_

 _Courtney rolled her eyes, "There's a first time for everything."_

 _Duncan kicked her foot with his and then placed his hand on her knee, "You don't have to act like you don't love my bad boy ways, babe. There aren't any cameras around."_

 _She scoffed and put another packet of sugar in her coffee. He was right, but she was never going to let him know that. It felt refreshing to be away from the cameras, celebrating just with her love—well she would never tell him that, but smoothing about distance really did make the heart grow fonder for her._

 _Duncan slid his hand off her knee and placed it on top of her hand that rested on the table. His eyes made her melt, he knew how she felt about_ that _look. "I'm really happy that I'm here with you. It makes it all so much better."_

* * *

At the time, Courtney didn't fully understand what Duncan meant. But now as the final competition against Tyler (Yes, she was very surprised too.), Duncan's cheering for her made the world of a difference. She had no idea what was going on, all of the eliminated contestants had joined the two of them in the lounge hours ago. She could literally hear the ticking of the clock when Duncan finally took a break from the bellowing. True to his character, Chris had a stunt double flip their way in as some sort of lame attempt to make it seem as if Chris himself had the ability to do so.

"It's about f***ing time," Duncan shouted. "I've been waiting hours to see my princess take this competition by the balls."

Courtney slapped her forehead, "Duncan, please try to refrain a little from the vulgarities."

Chris subtly flipped Duncan off behind his back as he smiled brightly for the cameras. "Welcome to the final competition! While I realize that you nuisances have no patience, you'll just have to learn how to shut up and be patient for a little longer because this challenge is going to take some time to prepare."

The group of teens groaned in unison.

* * *

Another hour later, Courtney was sprinting down the hall of the—well she had lost track at this point—of the hotel. Chris had released Tyler and her from the lounge an hour and a half later. Chef had taken the contestants one by one out of the room and placed them in random rooms throughout the hotel. Whoever came back to the lounge with the most contestants won. It had only been two minutes but Courtney figured the best strategy would be to ride the elevator to the top and work her way down using the stairs; she was a C.I.T., she knew what she was doing. She stopped in her tracks at a door with a skull carved into it.

She threw herself in the room and saw Duncan twirling his pocket knife around on his finger. "Princess, you came to rescue me!" He jumped up and kissed her. It was a kiss she could have gotten lost in… if there weren't a million dollars on the line.

She pulled away and grabbed his hand dragging him out in the hall with her, "No time! We have to win this! Do you have any idea where the others are?"

"Damn, you're hot when you're determined," He smirked. "I don't really know, except that all the rooms are connected to something significant each of us did. Like when you and I reunited in that room by-"

Courtney slapped her free hand over his mouth, "International television, Duncan! Shush!"

He licked her hand causing her to pull it back, "Sir yes sir."

* * *

She was lucky enough to find Gwen in the arcade; she had no clue as to why she would be in there, but she didn't have time to ask questions. Izzy had jumped out of the vent at her. Geoff and Bridgette were making out in the hot tub—no surprise there. Noah was in the business room. Justin was in his bathroom staring at himself, he was quite embarrassed to have been found while was in the middle of applying his mud mask. DJ had been in the garden playing with his most recent Bunny. LeShawna had been in the room her and Courtney shared, most likely because she was the person who she vented to about her struggles with overcoming her breakup. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9! That made nine! She just needed one more person to win this competition!

Much to her disappointment, Tyler must have already covered the spa because neither Lindsay nor Heather was there. And that's when it hit her—the piano! She sprinted her heart out to the piano she had found Trent at before, she heard the others huffing and puffing behind her. The white, pristine walls were blurring in her vision, she heard the piano. She burst into the room and found him. Trent sitting there smiling to himself as he played some melody. She was sure it was beautiful, but her ears were failing her. She was so numb to her surroundings; she was in a state of shock. She had done it. She finally won something. On her own, no help from her Dad or Duncan or whomever else she had leaned on before.

Trent stood up with a grin so wide it could've touched both of his ears, "I knew you'd know where to find me."

The speakers around them blared out with triumphant trumpets, confetti exploded from the sprinklers (It didn't take a C.I.T. to know that was illegal.), Duncan was already lifting her up. Chris had come into the room with _the_ briefcase.

"Congratulations, Courtney! You just won Total. DRAMA. REWIND," Chris shouted, handing her the briefcase. Then, he leaned over and Courtney could've sworn she was dreaming because she heard him whisper, "You earned this."

* * *

The afterparty was a whirlwind. She had received hugs from people she knew thought Courtney was a not-so-friendly b-word. It was overwhelming. She hadn't felt so much adoration in… well, ever. Her dad even texted her, and that bastard hadn't made an effort to contact her since he cheated. That was what sent her over the edge. So, very quietly, she slipped out the door and took a cab to Huddle House.

It was there, at 3 AM, she was sitting under the slightly swinging fluorescent light starting at a swirling cup of coffee. She should be happy, she had everything she could ever imagine. But she wasn't. It seemed like everything she looked forward to only ended up being anticlimactic in the end. Something always felt missing.

The bell on the door rung as a new customer entered. Courtney almost robotically poured another packet of sugar into her coffee. "My God, Princess. Would you like any coffee with that sugar?"

She dropped the packet into her coffee (effectively ruining the drink) and spun around in her seat, and for a second—just a second—she forgot about everything else and only saw those blue eyes. "Duncan."

"I saw you sneak out, but was afraid you needed a second to have everything settle in," He smiled that half-smile as he slipped in the other side of the booth.

"Yeah," She sighed. "It's a lot."

"Ha, I remember. And you were the one who couldn't keep her-"

"My dad texted me!"

She didn't mean to do that. She hated blurting things out, she was supposed to always think things through. Why did he make her forget to do that?

Duncan drew in a breath and drew his hands together, "What did he say?"

Courtney shook her head and threw her face in her hands, "I haven't opened it."

He took her phone—without asking—and read the text aloud, "Congrats honey! I've been wanting you to come visit me, when is good for you?"

Courtney raised her head, anger bubbling in her.

"Fuck him." Duncan declared, turning her phone off.

"Duncan," Courtney was about to scold him, but then her anger turned into uncontrollable tears. Her father abandoned her for some slut and she was suddenly worth his time again now that she had won the money. She felt him slide into her side of the booth and wrap his arms around her, but it didn't stop her sobs. No, it was when she felt a tear fall on her shoulder that she looked up and saw his eyes watering. He quickly looked away.

She placed a hand on his face, turning it towards hers, "Duncan?"

"I just don't like to see you cry, ok?" He muttered, wiping away the few remaining tears.

Silence fell over them as she registered this. Something was different. She was different, so was he. She felt a bit more whole now, as she looked upon her love who was so compassionate towards her. For maybe the first time in her life, Courtney was speechless. So, with very little thought, she said, "Fuck him."

Duncan looked stunned, his mouth agape. An almost cynical grin appeared on his face before he broke into a bought of laughter. She sniffled and started giggling too. The two of them probably looked insane to the few people that inhabited the restaurant with them. Their hysterical laughter echoed throughout the building, and the joy spread to everyone's face. At 3:15 AM, everyone in the cramped Huddle House had smiles on their faces.

After getting a hold of himself, Duncan gazed into her eyes, "What now?"

Courtney sighed. _What now?_ Well, she supposed she would go home and help her mom lay off all the extra shifts. Pay their remaining therapy bills. Pick her fall semester courses. HER COURSES! She could go to college; she was going to her college. With a proud smile, she said, "I guess I have to get ready for college."

He kissed her head, "Damn straight. I'm dating a future lawyer who's going to scare the shit out of everyone in the courtroom."

She laughed, and then her happiness was replaced with the same uncertainty she had as she floated away on the Boat of Losers, "What about us?"

"Don't you worry about it," Duncan waved. "I'm going wherever you are. I get to be the fanboy now—although that doesn't sound cool enough. Hmm, fan-badass. Yeah, that's much better."

"But how?"

"I may have been a total idiot before, but I wasn't so stupid that I didn't put some money away. I even invested some of it. Your man knows how to profit off his money," He smirked.

This definitely shouldn't have been enough of a plan for Courtney Satella, but she took some solace in the uncertainty Duncan was so comfortable with. The future looked bright for the Duncan and Courtney, and that was enough for her. They were together. They were happy.

* * *

 _Wow, I can't believe that this is done. I know I took a long time to complete it (I am very thankful for your patience with me), but I feel like the ending I would've written a year ago for this story would not have done it justice. I hope that you all enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it!_


End file.
